Empower
by Eddiee Beth
Summary: Female Izuku Midoriya - Genderbend Izuku Midoriya x Katsuki Bakugo story! An Izuka, female empowerment story in which she faces many obstacles like passing Yuuei's entrance exam, fighting off villains, but most importantly, discovering herself and maybe falling in love along the way.
1. fish food

"Izuka! Hurry, you'll miss the bus stop if you don't come down," Inko's motherly tone erupted from the bottom of the humble little home filling the atmosphere with worry.

Izuka zoomed down the stairs, following her mother's advice while one hand held her wild mane of hair together and the other attempted to tie it in place with an uncooperative black hair tie.

"I can't be late, not today! Not on the first day of school!" She shouted back, running towards her mother who waited at the door with her bookbag in hand.

"You'll do great Izuka," Inko cheered handing the bag over to the high-spirited girl with unruly curls that she loved so much, "and don't forget the milk on your way back. A growing girl like yourself needs all her nutrition's to continue growing towards a bright future!"

"I won't," Izuka assured her mother with a smile coating her features as she confirmed that she'd bring back the chilled drink with a nod. "I promise."

Inko kissed her cheek before the giddy teen rushed out of the house and waved at her retreating back, "See you soon!"

Izuka barely made it onto the bus, flopping onto an empty seat with a huff as she recalled her mother's sweet words of encouragement. Today was the day that everything would begin for her; it was going to be the start of her new chapter in life. Izuka Midoriya was finally a third-year student, meaning she was old enough to apply for the hero course offered by Yuuei High and be one step closer to achieving her dream of becoming a hero.

Despite what everyone advised her against, she was going to aspire to become a hero without a quirk. A hero who could show other young individuals like herself that it didn't matter if they possessed a quirk or not because she would show the world that anyone could still strive to become one too.

In all honesty, she had come to terms that she wouldn't get accepted because of it, but she was had to try and be optimistic for her sanity because there was a part of her that would crush from facing that reality. She would work hard and do her best no matter what was put in her way!

"Oh look, it's that Quirkless wannabee," a gossiping voice interrupted Izuka's thoughts as she stepped off the bus and onto the school grounds, "Must be so sad to not have a quirk. I don't know what I'd do if I was born without my powers. I'd probably kill myself."

Laughter erupted around her, causing her to drop her head with shame but she kept walking already used to hearing such things being said about her. She picked up her pace as her betraying hand clutched the fabric over her heart and the other gripped on the strap of her backpack as a safety net.

She needed to get far away from the voices murmuring around her. She was not going to let this get to her. She was going to be a hero, and she was going to try her best because it was her dream to be a hero since she was a child and nothing would stop her from achieving it. Nothing – _oomph_.

Izuka flew backward and landed on her bottom. Knowing she would regret it later, she looked up to see who she had the unfortunate chance meeting with and frowned as her eyes watered in the corner with fear of what would happen next.

Above her was a fuming blonde who's back she had run into as smoke erupted from his palms. She prayed he wouldn't turn around, but that was a hopeless cause because she knew that it wasn't in his nature to let anything that attacked his pride slide.

She cursed in her head for having such bad luck. Dammit, she didn't want to attract any more attention on her first day of all days in the year but somehow trouble managed to find her; what had she done wrong to deserve such a fate? Was she meant to have an early grave?

"Watch where you're going, shitty idiot," Katsuki Bakugo shouted as he turned around, his eye twitching until it widened at the sight of Izuka laying on the ground and his teeth gritted together in blatant hatred, "Of course it had to be you, little defenseless Deku."

"I-I didn't do it on purpose, truly, you got it all wrong. I-I was ju-just walking really fast and I didn't see you so it was an accident an-" Izuka stuttered getting back onto her feet all the while her hands were extended in surrender in front of her body. She hoped he would realize that it was all a misunderstanding, but it didn't help that his posse surrounded them in anticipation of a fight.

"Shut up Deku," Katsuki barked out, a sizzling hand pressed onto her shoulder with enough power to scorch her uniform as it heated up her skin as a warning, but Izuka didn't dare move for fear that she'd anger him more. "Here's a little word of advice, don't do it again. Or else."

Izuka opened her mouth, but nothing except a slight whimper escaped her throat. She clutched her hands into fists, mad at herself for not being able to string a coherent sentence together so she could defend her self-worth. Was she really so weak that she was unable to stand up for herself?

"Wow, thought she at least had some fight in her after proclaiming that she wants to be a hero. Never heard of a passive hero before. Oh wait, that's because they don't exist. Then again, neither do quirkless heroes," one of Katsuki's lackeys said behind him as he shoved Izuka into the wall on her side. His job of making an example of her done, Katsuki just turned and continued walking into the classroom without sparing her another glance as if she was less than a worthless piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

That was when something deep inside her snapped. She was not worthless and she was definitely not weak! With a growl, Izuka summoned all of her courage together as she radiated her anger back to the offending blonde before he could completely disappear from the hallway, "You!"

 _YOU JERK!_

"Did I hear something?" Katsuki asked, his hand flaming up with fire and a provoking smirk covered his face. She instantly retreated back into quietness knowing that's what made them different. He had a quirk and, unlike him, she had nothing to defend herself with. She wasn't that stupid to play with fire.

"You may be a girl, but that doesn't mean anything to me," he said quietly, and Izuka had to strain her ears to hear him, "A quirkless idiot like yourself with still be a Deku no matter their gender."

Izuka watched him leave, holding onto that small shred of hope. He had considered her an opponent with those words and she would just push all of this aside. No matter deep he cut her with his harsh words, she was not going to give up just because things got bad. She was going to continue tuning out everyone's opinions of her because deep down, what really mattered was that she believed in herself to achieve the impossible. She was not going to stop becoming the hero she knew she could grow to be no matter what everyone told her.

However, the fates decided that today was going to be the day to test out that strength and faith of hers.

Right towards the end of class, her homeroom teacher decided it was best to notify the class that both Katsuki and herself had their eyes set on applying at Yuuei High in hopes to encourage others to do the same. Although Izuka knew her professor meant no harm, and only had innocent intentions with realizing that very private information which she had confided to him the previous year, she secretly wanted to shrivel up and die in her seat.

While everyone left in a hurry, she had no warning and began packing her things only to realize that she was alone with a certain fiery male. She could feel Katsuki's eyes barring small holes in her forehead and knew that she would not make it out alive today.

"I'm not looking to compete," Izuka's small words resonated throughout the empty classroom, her only witness was the blonde predator who was taking large steps towards her. Every step Katsuki made forward was a step she took back until the back of her legs hit the desk behind her and she could retreat no more; she was ruefully trapped.

However, that didn't stop Katsuki as he continued to invade her personal space. He was too close for her liking, and Izuka's knees buckled resulting in her sitting on the desk's edge. Now, she truly felt helpless and clutched at her hero notebook and held it up in front of her chest like a shield as she watched that his body uncomfortably loomed over her own as he growled in irritation at her.

"Don't get in my way Deku," he said with a snarl, his eyes darting downwards and he instantly noticed her breasts. They weren't that small or big, they were a decent size and he mentally cursed himself for getting distracted by such a thing. Not wanting to get sidetracked, he shifted his focus towards her notebook that she held tightly as a lifeline and a malicious idea seeped into his mind as he yanked it out of her grip.

"Hey!" Izuka abruptly stood back up onto her own feet, ignoring how their bodies pressed into each other's and focused on retrieving her precious notes that she spent time jotting down. These were crucial in her aid of becoming the number one hero considering how extensively detailed her writing would help benefit her in the future. If she stood on her toes just a little more, she knew she could reach the book and get it back out of his explosive hands.

"I just want to be a hero too," she mumbled, licking her lower lip in concentration as her fingers brushing the spine of the book. Somehow, her proclamation fell onto deaf ears for Katsuki's senses were blinded by every alluring move the struggling girl made.

The way she creased her eyebrows and bit her lip, it was just all too distracting for him. He could practically smell the lavender from her hair and his face turned bright red as he realized just how close they were. He was not going to get caught blushing like an idiot just because she was managing to entice a reaction from him due to her petite, and very female body. To divert her attention from his obvious discomfiture of her presence, he lit the item in his hand on fire since he was producing more sweat than usual.

A startling, feminine gasp brought him back to the reality of the situation and he turned his head to look at what had caused that response out of her while his own eyes widened at what he had done.

Izuka felt her heart clench as she watched her notes begin to catch fire, the edges singeing from his quirk-induced flames. Her sad eyes screaming to put the flames out while her mouth voiced, "Stop it! That's so mean, don't you think you're taking this way too far?"

Panicking, Katsuki did the first thing that he thought of and quickly threw the book out of the window; but that only managed to make things worse. Izuka's eyes watered in the corner as she watched it fly out of view and longingly looked at the offending open panel praying for it to defy gravity and spit her notebook back up to her.

Katsuki had other worries though, he just needed to get out of there far away from her soft body and quiet whimpers. His main objective to persuade her to not apply to Yuuei was falling to pieces and as a last resort, he succumbed to shouting it at her.

"Don't you dare apply to Yuuei," he bellowed at her face causing her to widen her eyes as her gaze shifted back onto him and briefly forgetting about her notebook. His face was red and blotchy, and Izuka assumed that he was frustrated by her childish antics, never would she have thought it was because their noses were touching and he was inches away from almost touching her mouth with his own.

She briefly squeaked but quickly clamped her mouth shut, dreading that any sound emitted from her would further piss him off. It helped that his demanding behavior undoubtedly left Izuka speechless anyways and all she could manage to do in this predicament was sit back onto the desk thus, placing space between them to get rid of the clawing heat that was smothering her.

Even with the open window, it was just too hot in the classroom especially with Katsuki's own body acting like a furnace.

Katsuki felt his own endurance dwindle and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep his act together any longer. He didn't want to know what stupid shit he would do next and decided that this was the best time for him to make his exit.

His disappearance allowed for both him and the temperature in the room to cool down. Izuka's high pulse and anxiety also lowered knowing that the potential danger was finally gone. However, she didn't move yet. She didn't want to face anyone until she could gather her wits and courage back.

None of this was supposed to be easy. This was supposed to be hard and a part of her knew it was just the beginning, she couldn't give up at the get-go even when a part of her admitted that everyone was right.

She knew she could not truly become a hero like the others without a quirk; but, she couldn't give up without trying.

After a few more silent minutes to recollect her senses, Izuka placed her bag onto her shoulder ready to face the world again.

She was back on her feet and with this newfound liveliness, she dashed out of the school racing to the bus stop until something in her peripheral caught her eye. It was bright blue and undoubtedly wet and as she tried to brake, she ended up tripping over her feet in front of the koi pond instead.

Getting up and dusting off the dirt scraped on her knees, she let out a sigh of relief as she saw her notebook wasn't burned to pieces. Instead, it was being nibbled on but an orange and blue koi fish that slightly reminded her of her favorite hero but she didn't care if her notes had briefly turned into fish food. She'd rather have this alternative than to never see its existence again. Izuka retrieved the book from the pond, saving it from any more injuries and held it proudly at her side with a small smile while tears threatened to fall from the corner of her eyes.

She was not going to cry, she told herself, while some tears betrayed her and trickled down her cheek in a wail of joy. She just couldn't help how happy she was at finding that her trusty notes were still intact at the end of the day. This was a good sign that it was just going to get better from here on out!

* * *

"You forgot the milk Izuka!" Inko said watching the girl jump happily all over the place. She stifled a giggle at her daughter's behavior and it sounded like an exhausted sigh instead.

"Ah!" Izuka exclaimed kissing her mother's cheek and holding onto her shoulder. Since she was a few inches taller than her mother, Izuka appeared to be engulfing her into a hug instead especially since it seemed that she had disappointed her mother, "I'm sorry, mom, I just got ahead of myself and forgot."

Inko didn't really care about the milk, she was just glad that Izuka didn't look miserable. Usually, Izuka forced her smiles to cope with not having a quirk, but she had never been the same cheerful little child since that day at the doctor's office when she was six years old.

Inko would worry that Izuka was being picked at in school for not having a quirk, despite how many times her daughter reassured her that was not the case. Other days, Inko stressed that Izuka would forever be sad knowing she could never achieve her dreams of being a hero like All Might and guilt would eat her up knowing she was secretly relieved that Izuka didn't inherit a quirk because the idea Izuka getting hurt was revolting.

This, however, was refreshing; Izuka seemed genuinely happy and considering it was the first day of school, Inko was relieved hoping that this year might be different for her precious little girl. There was no doubt that Izuka was strong and independent, but Inko knew first hand that there was a breaking point to having your head held up high all the time.

This new change brought anticipation of all the good prospects that Izuka would be presented upon; like maybe some girl-friends she can hang out with or a new career path that might interest her and, kami forbid, maybe a boyfriend too.

The possibilities were endless and for the first time in such a long time, Inko was relieved of her anxiety over Izuka's well-being.

* * *

 **Three months later:**

Today was signing day and despite all irrationality, Izuka woke with a smile on her face. If she had been anyone else, she should've been angered about what was going to conspire today but she wasn't. She was possibly All Might's number one fangirl and, because of that, she couldn't help but relive last night's breaking news in a continuous loop in her head.

 _"We just got an update that a villain has brought traffic to a halt…" a news reporter voiced as the scene shifted onto a terrorized part of the city, citizens shouting in the background and then a large boom shook the ground._

 _Izuka and her mother abandoned dinner choosing to watch the news unfold as All Might came sweeping in from the corner of the television set. He landed with a superhero ground-smashing pose that lit up both her mother and her eyes with admiration. All Might didn't pause for pictures though, he acted on impulse like a true hero and in a quick second, he punched the villain down._

 _The villain didn't even stand a chance and the reporters confirmed it followed by testimonials of other heroes keeping the citizens nearby at bay from the fight. But the loudest sound above all the racket had been All Might's laugh in the background; a deep and rumbling, heart-filled laugh which filled their dining room and Izuka's own excitement._

 _Inko looked over at her daughter and watched as a contagious smile covered her face. The poor girl didn't even realize how happy her role-model made the young girl forget all her worries. In its place, All Might's overconfident zest reminded Izuka of her goal to become a hero._

 _"Isn't he amazing?" Izuka breathlessly said, her insides trembling in awe while her mother nodded her head in agreement._

It had been refreshing to see All Might in action considering he hadn't made an appearance in over two weeks. And this news coverage for Izuka helped her to tap into a newfound confidence. It reminded her that any situation had a bright side to it; and in her case, she would continue to smile like All Might even if she couldn't become a real hero because she could still be like one by performing selfless and kind acts without a quirk.

Frankly, she was going to apply to Yuuei anyways and the last thing on her mind was giving up because nothing was going to change the fact that she wanted to be a hero. No matter what all her classmates said about her, she was going to submit her application with high hopes engraved within every inked letter.

"I won't forget the milk this time, I promise," she said kissing her sweet mother goodbye on the cheek. Izuka walked to the bus stop with a skip in her step and a dreamy glint in her eye thanks to the feeling of an inspirational high still bubbling inside her. To top it all off, she wore a goofy smile that irked her blonde classmate who unfortunately shared the same bus route as her.

"What are you so happy about?" He grunted out as he shoved her out of the way of the entrance of the bus that had just pulled up, "You look ridiculously stupid."

"Today's signing day Kacchan!" Izuka cheerfully replied, shrugging off his rough greeting of 'hello' that would offend anyone else who didn't know him like she did. This was normal and he was surprisingly on his best behavior. "It's the first day that applications open for next year so we can start the paperwork and attempt to be the first ones to apply. Although, it's not really a big deal for most students who've already received recruiting scholarships from specific schools which is pretty amazing-"

Katsuki's fierce glare cut through her mumbling tirade in which Izuka apologized for and chuckled in embarrassment that she was just excited and got carried away. She had been scolded enough times by her teachers and mother that it was un-lady-like to rant and could be very nerve-racking for some people nearby. It was truly a bad habit of hers and she couldn't blame the blonde's current irked attitude.

"You shouldn't be so happy," he said seriously, devoid of all emotion as he studied her face. By his logic, she should be depressed knowing that she can't apply to Yuuei since she didn't have a quirk. It's not as if she would be so stupid to apply without one, besides it was common sense to the blonde that the examiners wouldn't let her or probably think she's pulling a prank on them.

"What do you mean?" Izuka innocently asked, confused and curious about what he was getting at, "This is a pivotal point in students' lives. I can apply to any school and deciding on which school to go to can change my life forever."

She truly was clueless and that somehow bothered Katsuki even more. It made him want to protector her from the world and yet the raging creature inside him wanted to show her the reality that the place around them wasn't all flowers and rainbows. He knew it wasn't right that he wanted to shield her innocence and open her eyes at the same time; there was something malfunctioning inside him whenever she was too close.

"All except Yuuei," he said silently, dreading and looking forward to the disappointment that would cover her eyes; he knew since they were little that getting into Yuuei was her dream. Maybe that's why he was looking forward to seeing her drowning in sadness after getting a reality check; without a quirk, she would get crushed – emotionally and physically – if she tried out. Trying his best to not indulge in the girl's misfortune, he looked out the window to avoid seeing her big child-like eyes on her face any longer than necessary, "They don't allow just anyone there. It'll be useless for you to even try since you don't have a quirk. You're better off praying that you get reborn with a quirk in your next life than applying there. You shouldn't aim so high knowing that you'll never be capable of achieving it in your state."

The fall of setting her sights so high would hurt her. But as he continued watching the shrubbery blur in shades of green that passed by, he missed her crestfallen features caused by her insecurity which he had unknowingly ignited. It's not like he cared about how bad it stung her right now, he just honestly thought it was better for her to realize the truth now rather than get bruised later.

"I'll have you know that they removed that stupid rule and anyone is capable of applying there, quirk or no quirk," Izuka retaliated lifting a betraying finger in his face to capture his attention. However, with the sudden halt of the moving vehicle, she was thrown forward into Katsuki's personal space and her finger that was accusingly pointing at him had poked his chest hard.

Katsuki snarled, losing his patience at her sudden outburst as his anger flared up like an explosion being lightened. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her even closer so that his mouth was positioned right above her ear, "Despite that, you're not going to apply."

Izuka's eyes widened in shock knowing that was a command; there was no indication in his tone that it was a question and thanks to knowing him for such a long time she knew she didn't mishear him. Something inside her retaliated and she pulled from his strong grip to release her arm, but he was stronger.

"I'm going to be the number one hero and I won't have you making a shit show by prancing around and bringing in the reporters for entertainment because that's as far as you'll get; they'll only see it this as if you are playing a silly game because no one with a brain will take you seriously. Yuuei only accepts those with skills like me and that's not my ego talking." He pulled back, staring her down with a fake friendly smile and watched how she gulped.

She should know that this was only for her benefit. He was not going to let her do something so ridiculous. If she was anyone else, he wouldn't care what they did, but she was quirkless Deku and she would ruin his reputation of becoming number one by association since they shared the same class. He didn't want her tarnishing his chance to show the media that he's the next number one hero; scratch that, he didn't want her anywhere near the news reporters to be laughed at like a circus entertainer.

"I've warned you once," he said releasing his grip on her and before he turned to leave the bus, he made sure to looked back and make eye contact to further intimidate her in hopes that she would take his words to heart for her sake, "Don't forget it because if I have to do it twice, it won't be pretty Deku."

Having to follow behind him, she gave him a four-second head start before getting off the vehicle too. Izuka managed to descend the stairs of the bus, still processing every word uttered and a bit wobblily by her confrontation with Katsuki.

Honestly, it's not like she hadn't heard all of this before so she was unfazed by his words. Instead, she was focusing on trying to celebrate this little meeting with her long-time friend and bully because it was a feat in its own since she had survived without a scratch. Usually, she would get pushed into something but lately, no one had been picking on her as much since final exams and preliminary tests were underway. Everyone was just too busy to focus on her and she couldn't be more grateful for it.

But, as she sat down on a brick wall she realized that this time, something about her exchange with Katsuki seemed different. She felt like her lungs had squeezed her insides too harshly and her thumping heart made it difficult for her to pinpoint what was jittering with nerves. Even her stomach had done something akin to summersaults yet it hadn't landed back in the right place.

It's not like he was still standing next to her, but she could still feel his eyes on her and a part of her wanted to hurl because of her stomach's nauseating jitters. She had to remind herself that he was gone and completely out of view.

All she had now was her will to continue and she was not going to let anyone convince her to not apply to Yuuei; she was too far invested in her dreams to do such a foolish thing. She was going to find her inner strength and take the chance that was within her reach; she had the opportunity and guts so she was going to go for it whether people liked it or not.

"You'll have to warn me twice Kacchan," she mumbled, holding her head high as she stood bravely in front of the school's entrance, "Because I'm going to apply whether you like it or not."

With a smile on her face, Izuka pushed all her energy into her legs as she placed her weight on her feet and readjusted her book bag before heading into class to gather the necessary admission's forms belonging to her dream school.

Screw Katsuki's warning.


	2. Play Pretend, Iizuka

Stuffing the stacks of paper in her backpack, Izuka ran out of the class in a huff. She had stayed behind to collect the folder that contained Yuuei High's applicant guidebook and the parental agreement forms which her mother needed to sign.

She didn't want to risk someone other than the professor watching her collect papers to a prestige hero school because they would undoubtedly make fun of her again; she didn't need that attention nor did she want it. What she needed was to focus on honing her skills to be able to qualify for the entrance exam that Yuuei was famous for.

And she would start thinking of her game plan after she caught the last bus that made a stop at the market. She had promised her mother milk, and she will not let her mother down. She would treat this like her first hero mission and deliver on her promise because that's what heroes do.

Her feet pushed her further while her ribs strained in pain until she halted in front of the stop to see the bus pulling over a few seconds later, although she had made it just in time, she truly did need to work out considering she was so out of breath. Izuka sat down this time, grateful that Katsuki had ridden the early bus and wasn't going to join her anytime soon. With a sigh of satisfaction, she jotted a reminder to exercise more in her trusty notebook.

Once she finished, she securely tucked her book away, because she was not going to lose it. It had survived Kacchan's fire and it was a miracle considering paper was highly flammable, but she was not going to risk endangering it again. Nothing good ever came from testing her luck twice.

Rolling her shoulders as a satisfying pop in her back brought a moan to Izuka's lips, she got comfortable in the dingy plastic chair and briefly closed her eyes. The sunlight slipping through the opened window warmed her pale, freckled skin and Izuka temporarily imagined that she was laying on the beach without a care in the world.

However, the universe never seemed to align with her plans for she had reached her stop all too quickly.

After giving her thanks to the driver, Izuka found herself staring at her reflection outside of the market's side panels with a cold milk carton in hand. Something in that blue, slightly distorted image had drawn her to it and she couldn't help but feel pulled in to inspect the thing that had caught her attention enough to find what was calling her name like a moth to a flame.

She seemed so sad and briefly wondered if she always looked like that. Her eyes were puffy, and she could make out her dark eye bags. Her freckles didn't help her tired appearance either and just made her appear sleepy. Even her hair was a frizzy mess, but she shrugged knowing it always looked like an untamed mane at the end of the day. She just could never get her curls to smoothen out and didn't even own a straightener.

But that was the least of her problems for she noticed a certain dullness surrounding her aurora instead of the sparkly glow that would surround other girls in the classroom as they spoke amongst one another. She looked drained in a way that was only reserved for adults facing a middle-aged crisis. It didn't suit her at all. Maybe she should stop staying up late watching re-winds of All Might's fights on the television.

She truly needed to change her routine for a healthier one. Her body was practically begging for it.

"Woah! Someone call the police, a young man is being attacked by the villains!" A frantic voice interrupted her thoughts and managed to pull her away from her reflection. Her eyes roamed to the scene and she watched in horror as a big, dirty slime green monster was engulfing a struggling teenage boy.

What made her move into action was realizing that it wasn't just any boy. It was Kacchan being swallowed whole and by the mad look in his eyes, he was pissed that his explosions weren't effective in freeing him. He seemed so vulnerable and she couldn't bear seeing this side of the angsty blonde who was always so tough.

Izuka didn't know when it happened, but she had dropped the milk and was running towards Katsuki as fast as she could. She didn't feel tired or sleepy in that instant; instead, she was just too focused on getting to him and ignored the cries of protest from the growing crowd that warned her to stay away.

She didn't care about the bystanders, she only had eyes for the blonde's eyes widened as he noticed her running towards him. She ignored his half-hearted angry muffled screams realizing Katsuki wasn't only struggling to get free, but he was also fighting for air.

"It's cutting off his air supply, he can't breathe!" Izuka shouted at the guy who was currently discussing the situation over the phone with what she hoped was a policeman. She didn't care if she was quirkless in that instant, it didn't matter enough to her, and as if a switch had been turned on in her, she was on her toes clawing and digging away the slime covering his face. Particularly, his mouth and nose as best as she could while Katsuki continued to release blow after blow of explosions inside the weakening slime monster.

Izuka didn't once relent in her efforts to help Katsuki and pushed herself to dig faster with her nails aware that his explosions were staggering and his moves were sluggish. He was losing consciousness and she couldn't have that from someone she looked up to as strong, "Come on Kacchan, stay with me. Stay with me Kacchan, don't give in yet."

Anyone oblivious of the bad blood between them would say that she whispered this to him like a lover softly chanting it in reassurance that everything would be alright. But they weren't anything close to being gentle lovers and with another furious swipe of her fingers, his mouth was free as he breathed in gasps of air. She smiled in the success that her efforts had worked and watched as the red anger in his eyes returned twice fold.

"Stop pretending to be a hero! I don't need your help," Katsuki shouted in raspy breaths and pulled his head out of the slime's grasp. He turned his body and athletically moved so he could get a good shot at the villain as it burst into pieces. But the slime had other plans knowing it's best shot of getting out of there alive was to get weaker target since the fire boy was just too aggravated and he wouldn't make it out alive. The villain eyed Izuka, a tired looking girl who just coincidentally happened to be so close and Katsuki's eyes widened as he shot another flame at the monster knowing exactly what it was going to do.

"Get back Deku!" Katsuki shouted at the girl taking a step towards her to push her out of harm's way, but it seemed like the world froze over knowing he was a second too late. The slime began to coil around her and squeezed her neck, surprised that she didn't scream in distress by its deathly manhandling grip on her. Izuka clutched at the slime around her neck, it's tight hold would no doubt result in a bruise tomorrow, and pushed all her strength into her muscles to try to pull it off.

Katsuki watched as the slime consumed her legs, locking her legs so that the limbs couldn't thrash against the villain anymore. Getting better control of her body, it raised her a few feet off the ground for all to see that he held a victim.

Irrationality ate at him knowing she deserved this for putting herself in danger, but he couldn't stand by and just watch and yet that's exactly what he did. His own hero instincts were kicking in, but he had to hold the urge to barrel in again because he knew he couldn't do anything or risk harming Izuka if he was to shoot at the slime monster. Katsuki silently cursed wondering where exactly the police and heroes where; they were taking too damn long in his opinion.

Meanwhile, Izuka's mouth was clamped shut so the slime wouldn't enter her. It was difficult for her to push out the shouting voices around her that were getting louder and louder, but she continued focusing on her goal to keep the villain out and away from her nose to keep breathing.

"Let go of her!" Someone shouted and Izuka tried to move her head in the direction of the voice. However, her little stunt had cost her as a little bit of slime trickled through the corner of her mouth. Within seconds, it felt as if someone was pulling a hook from her stomach in an effort to make her scream. It wanted her to shout, to open her mouth wider and give the villain the access it wanted. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, and Izuka wondered how Kacchan had managed to stay conscious with it inside and suffocating him.

The slime laughed, shocking Izuka that it actually had a voice and then as if it was paralyzed, it froze up cutting its triumph laugh short.

"Place her gently on the ground, release her, and turn yourself into the police at once." A firm voice spoke and Izuka watched in awe as the slime did as it was told. It was as if the villain was under some hypnotic mind control and Izuka located the purple-haired boy with the quirk that managed to easily take over the villain's thought.

He looked even more tiresome than herself, and when she was in control of her legs once more and her mouth was uncovered, she turned to the person who saved her to give her thanks but fell onto her knees from exhaustion. Her bones ached and she had never felt as pushed to her limit as she did right then and there.

Katsuki hovered over her in an instant not caring that she couldn't get onto her feet as he inconsiderately chose to reprimand her instead of helping her up, "Do you want to die? That was reckless, were you planning on getting yourself killed?"

"K-Kacchan, I'm glad you're okay!" Izuka said with a small laugh, there truly was something terribly wrong with her maybe it was all the adrenaline leaving her system as she basked in the knowledge that she had done something so heroic and actually helped Katsuki escape.

Katsuki thought she wasn't taking him seriously and her careless behavior irked him knowing she could have gotten hurt or worse and he couldn't do a damn thing about it, "You're never going to be a hero, so stop this act. What you did was reckless especially since you're quirkless Deku!"

"Quirkless?" The crowd nearby asked in curiosity and worry as they stared down at the teens who had come into contact with the villain who was walking away like a zombie to the police with two adults trailing it just in case it didn't stray off or snap out of the command. "She's quirkless?"

She could feel their eyes assessing her, racking up and down her body as if it were dirty; their stares lingering on the fresh bruises over her body. She knew what they were thinking about her and they didn't even try to hide the pity they felt for the girl. She felt insecure, craving to get out of their view so they couldn't further criticize her.

"They don't need to know that," Izuka whispered under her breathe, but Katsuki heard her loud and clear, "It's not important."

"It is. If they have to know that you can't properly defend yourself so it can go through that thick skull of yours, I'll tell the whole world about you!" Bakugo shouted, shaming her further by pulling her to her feet and grabbing her biceps to keep her up like a damsel in distress being rescued by the big, strong man, "I know you don't want to believe it, but you have to stand up to the truth."

"S-Stop," Izuka whined shaking her head of his words, her bottom lip trembling and warning her that she was about to reach the tipping scale and let all waterworks break loose. "L-let go of me Kacchan."

He ignored her little cries of protest and continued with his explanation, "There's no doubt in my mind that you truly are a quirkless idiot if you can't stand to hear what I have to say. What you did today was stupid since you couldn't defend yourself from the slime as it attacked you too. There was nothing your fighting would've done but exhausted you as can see."

He let go of her and she almost fell again before she caught herself and balanced out her core so she wouldn't hit the ground and make a spectacle of herself, "This is what I meant when I said you can't be a hero. You'll die before you even step out to the battlefield. Some people are meant to be citizens, not everyone is cut out or born to be a hero."

Izuka didn't want to further embarrass herself in front of the bystanders murmuring amongst themselves about how she recklessly threw herself to save the boy like an infatuated love-struck brainless girl, but his words stung more than any other. She couldn't help it as she placed her forearm over her eyes to hide her tears away from them. She wouldn't give them that satisfaction and she turned to run, leaving only Katsuki to witness how pathetic she was as she fled the scene.

"I hope you're happy," a purple-haired teen said walking up to Katsuki who's eyes never left Izuka's disappearing form as she turned the corner of the intersection.

"Why would I be happy for making her cry asshole?" Katsuki honestly asked, ripping his glued eyes from its spot and eyed the carton of milk and a familiar book bag draped over the guy's shoulder. For some reason, Katsuki recognized the bag and hated that he couldn't recall from where. He also knew he didn't feel any happiness from finally getting through Izuka, he felt shame. But he did know that he hated this guy and that was a safe spot to where he could focus his feelings on.

"It's Shinso Hitoshi and you're right, it's not very heroic to make a girl cry," he offhandedly commented, his purple irises peering at the blonde's face from the corner of his eyes as he too faced in the direction the girl had disappeared to. He may have appeared calm and uninterested on the outside, but his eyes betrayed how cautious and aware he truly was to everything around him. "I couldn't help to overhear the situation concerning her, but then again you weren't very concerned for her privacy."

Bakugo growled at Shinso's hostile and very blunt comments, but the purple-haired boy who appeared to be the same age as himself didn't let him get a word through this one-sided conversation.

"I do have to say, you're the real idiot for telling her off like that. Not because it's un-hero like, but because it has nothing to do with who she is as a person. You should've respected her identity and given her more credit than cruelly bashed her down because despite not having a quirk, she was the brave enough to step in and lend a hand while everyone else who did have quirks just stood idly by." Shinso said with a slight smirk knowing he was effectively aggravating the boy the same ruthless way he had done to the girl with green eyes and a freckled, soft smile.

"What do you know? I've known her longer than you and here you are lecturing me about her," Katsuki barked out. If he wasn't so drained, he would've blasted Shinso into pieces, but he suddenly felt the effects of the attack hit him all at once. He could only imagine how Izuka was fairing considering she couldn't even stand up straight and the thought of her all alone ate at his consciousness for screaming at her. He returned his stare towards the street she had run into as if he could catch a glimpse of her if he looked hard enough, "You know nothing about her."

"She may be quirkless, but she's not defenseless like you think," Shinso said picking up on the tension Katsuki seemed to emit whenever Shinso mentioned the female pronoun. It was obvious the blonde boy was peeved about talking about this subject for more than he wanted to. "The girl I saw today was quick on her feet as she moved into action. She was strong and graceful in an attempt to save your sorry ass; she even smiled knowing you were safe despite getting her freckled skin peppered with bruises. If that doesn't sound like a hero in progress then maybe she's changed from when you did know her."

"You're wrong," Katsuki said with a hint of denial, glad his hair hid his burning ears from sight, "I don't like Izuka, she's not a real hero like you claim her to be. She's playing hero and she can't do that forever."

"Izuka, is it? Quite a fitting name," Shinso said storing the information for later before he turned to tsk at the teen beside him with disapproval, "Your pride is rather tragic, it's blinding you from comprehending that you can't change her."

Katsuki, bit his tongue, hating the way Deku's name easily rolled off Shinso's own tongue and hating the snide comments made about him with that very same mouth. His gut was right about the boy, he didn't like him one bit and was temporarily happy as he watched the purple-haired man walk away before realizing that he was carrying Izuka's bag. Katsuki vowed that the next time he saw the purple-haired freak, he was going to give him a taste of his own medicine and then kill him.

* * *

Izuka panted, her legs could go no more as she hid under a bench in a little park nearby. It had been the longest day she'd ever had, and she felt so little and weak hiding in a dark corner of the world.

She was isolated, her only companion was Katsuki's burning words racing through her mind on a loop.

Every word spouted out of his mouth was something negative and she wished she could turn her mind off. She wished she could just take something that would numb the pain because it hurt more than anyone would ever know. There was truth in his words and she couldn't find it within her to push them back and bury it inside her any longer. She had bottled it all up for too long that it had burst today.

Her tears had dried a while ago during her escape but the thought that she had left her stuff back where Katsuki was probably talking to reporters and policeman about the villain wanted to make her cry again. She didn't want to go back and face all the ridicule again. She wanted to stay here in the dark and sulk until she felt better.

"Izuka?" a voice called out to her and she tensed. Her heart raced, head swerving from side to side as she searched for what sounded like Kacchan. Her eyes looked around her, scanning the area for a patch of blonde hair, her eyes beginning to glaze over with newfound tears at the thought that he had gone out of his way to come look for her because he cared.

"Izuka…I come as a friend," the voice cut through her and she was able to pinpoint his location ending her search. She blinked away the tears and her vision cleared, disappointing Izuka who saw a purple-haired boy approaching her instead. He gave her his own sad smile and she noticed that he had his hands up in surrender communicating to her that he indeed came in peace.

His purple mess of hair covered his face and she instantly recognized those tired purple eyes. His shoulders were drooped, and he sighed as he took another step forward as if it took too much energy for him to do so. And if she was being honest with herself, his sluggish appearance made his look rather handsome when paired with his midnight hair that reminded her of the honied night sky and his strong build. However, Izuka took note that had been so silent in his approach and she knew that in addition to his unique quirk, he was quite powerful despite his lazy looks.

"Ahh!" Izuka squeaked realizing she had been starring for too long and pushed her strength to stand despite the pain zipping up her legs. She began to bow straining her back in the process with a hiss but pushed through the pain to say, "I'm so sorry for getting in the way. I didn't get to properly thank you for saving me…, uh, um..."

"Shinso Hitoshi, Shinso will do just fine," he hastily said, worry filling his half-closed eyes which never usually showed any emotion. For some reason, this girl managed to bring about too many emotions in him and he blamed it on the fact that he saved her, "There's no need for you to strain yourself. Please, sit."

Izuka was about to protest, but she found that she couldn't argue for her mouth was sewn shut. Her body moved on its own accord too despite her own thoughts and she robotically sat back down on the stone bench. Her skin crawled like a thousand ants had crawled over her, her joints specifically tingled with this new sensation, and suddenly it stopped all at once. She felt she was released from this unseen hold and back in control of her own body.

"Sorry," Shinso apologized, scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment that he had let his quirk slip and activated it on her. "I still struggle controlling it."

"Whoa," Izuka uttered the minute she was able to move her check muscles disregarding how weird she felt and turned to pat the empty seat next to her so he could sit down too. "So, I was right! You do have a mind-controlling quirk."

Shinso was captivated by her wide smile, he was amazed how easily the girl disregarded his freaky quirk and didn't outright burst in anger over using it on her. Any other person would've been wary of him and his true intentions but Izuka was too trusting and kind; she was different and that caught his attention.

"It's actually a brainwashing quirk," He cautiously explained hoping she understood the depth of his quirk and secretly hoping that she wouldn't run away from him. "Don't you think it's better suited for a villain?"

"Are you kidding?" Izuka said with a shake of her head, "You've already proved how useful and amazing your quirk can be. It's much more meaningful when used for good. Are you applying for a hero course?"

"I am. I have my sights set on Yuuei," he said carefully watching every twitch of her face as her beautiful smile turned into a frown that didn't seem fitting on her; he much preferred her bright smile. "Something wrong?"

"No…well, yes," Izuka said fighting with herself as she stared down at her hands that had clawed at the slime monster with all her strength, "I just- I wanted to apply there too. Being a hero is my dream, but after what happened today I don't think I should."

Shinso had a flashback to when he was ten and had uttered those same words to his parents. He could recall how painful it had been to believe in the cruel words that he wouldn't fit in when his quirk was not very hero-like. How he believed that he too should give up pursuing such a dream.

"That's not true," Shinso shouted with a scowl on his face. How many times had she been hurt like him? Has it been the blonde's words or had she been picked on over time too? "Was this because of what that blonde guy said to you?"

"What?" Izuka asked confused at his sudden outburst. "No! It has nothing to do with him, it's just that I don't have a quirk."

"So? Being a hero isn't about how powerful your quirk is," Shinso said getting a hold of his emotions under control, "Besides, if I can become a hero with a quirk that may be considered evil by the majority of the population, then so can you. You may be quirkless, but what I saw out there was bravery. You were driven to fight that monster off and that takes guts, that's what makes a hero."

"Nobody quirkless has ever been a hero," Izuka said, her hopes still a bit low despite how badly she wanted to hang onto his optimistic words of encouragement.

"Then it's going to be a sight to see you become the first quirkless hero," Shinso said with a deep chuckle as he continued watching how she fought with herself. She wanted to believe and he was hoping she would. Shinso knew she would become a great hero as he continued trying to convince of this, "Besides, there's always other courses than the Heroics one if you still want to attend Yuuei like the General, Strategical, and Management Department. Surely you can get into any one of those departments and if your quirk matures, any outstanding students enrolled in those classes – that show any ounce of achieving greatness in the future – get transferred into the hero course. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but it's worth trying to get into Yuuei."

To say Izuka was inspired was an understatement as her eyes watered over by a large amount of kindness that Shinso was presenting her with, and she mumbled out a heart-wrenching thanks as she wiped her tears away as he patted her head.

"I'm quite surprised that you haven't blacked out yet," he commented at her emotional breakdown knowing it was actually long overdue. Any rational person would've balled out their eyes at being victimized by a villain rather than by verbal abuse. "You must have a very strong energy and pain level."

"Oh, I'm not that strong. I have no doubt that I'll feel everything tomorrow." Izuka said rotating her heel to test if she could still move her legs. Instantly, she hissed at the jolt of pain that shot up her leg along with a pounding headache from her crying, "I'm a little dizzy right now, and it seems like I can't walk. I ended up here in the park rather than on a bus heading home because I tripped over my feet earlier."

"How will you get home? You shouldn't be here so late in that state," Shinso asked a bit concerned for her well-being and wondered why he cared so much about this freckled, green-haired girl. He didn't know why he was wasting his time with strangers today, but maybe it was because he saw a younger, helpless version of himself in her and he felt the need to help her because he secretly knew how amazing she was. After that act earlier today, she proved how tough she truly was if she didn't see it herself.

"I have a crazy idea, but you have to hear me out first!" Izuka giddily announced starting her ranting explanation, "Maybe you can mind control me to walk home and get some sleep. When you commanded me to sit down, I didn't feel any pain. I can't force my muscles without my brain interfering to shut down so I can stop straining myself, but you can override that with your quirk and guarantee that I reach home without falling and worrying my mother who's probably stressing about where I am right now."

Izuka breathed in a big gulp of air and bit her lip in a nervousness as she waited for Shinso's response. Shinso didn't know if he should be overwhelmed with how fast she had said all of that in one breath or is he should be stunned that she wanted him to use his quirk on her.

She knew how unhuman the nature of his quirk was and here she was giving him free reign over her. She was just too trusting and he wondered if anyone had ever taken advantage of her pureness; his mind wondering to the blonde boy and he knew he couldn't let her get bullied like that again.

However, as tempting as it sounded to help her, he couldn't use his powers on her like that, "Izuka, I can't. It wouldn't feel right for me to control you like that."

"AH! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," Izuka quickly said twining her fingers together in thought, "I probably ruined any chance of gaining your friendship, haven't I? I'm not really good at this friend thing."

"Me either," Shinso said shocking himself to find that he was scratching his neck in embarrassment again. This girl was knocking all his anti-social, hermit-like behaviors away and infecting him to talk to her more. He found himself wanting to interact with her some more and further awed himself as he opened his mouth to say, "but you're much better company than those who attend Nabu Middle with me."

"Nabu Middle? The other junior high located across from here?" Izuka asked recalling that Nabu was at the other side of the city from the grocers here; he was a long way out from that area. "I almost attended that school with Kac-Katsuki but we live on the boundary line and made the cut for Aldera."

"The boundary line isn't too far from here, I can carry you home if you'd let me." Shinso offered with a shrug as if he offered to carry people every day.

"Really? Are you sure? What about your family? I'm sure they're worried about you too and it might be better for you to head home soon before it gets too late," Izuka asked in her kind-hearted nature not wanting him to go out of his way to help her, especially if it meant that he'd get in trouble.

Shinso sighed, his purple hair fell into his face revealing to Izuka a side of him that showed his venerable side, "I don't have friends and this is my way of asking for your friendship. I can assure you that my parents aren't expecting me home until later; plus, the milk will go bad if we don't get it to a refrigerator soon."

Izuka's eyes widened at his confession knowing it took a lot out of him to admit that to her after just meeting her. She blinked in speechless admiration as he shook the cold milk carton in front of her face enticing her to agree. She briefly wondered where exactly he had pulled that out from but ignored it for now and focused on finding her voice. She cleared her throat and to help ease his embarrassment, she revealed a piece of her soul to him too knowing it was only fair with a growing smile as she said, "I don't either and I would really like to be friends…after all, we can't let the milk go to waste."

"Good. Let's go," Shinso said, zipping open her backpack that he had kept between his feet on the ground and slipped the milk back inside before he handed it to her so she could put it on. He helped her onto her feet and then Izuka watched as he turned around and knelt on the ground in front of her. He was silently asking her to go on his back for a piggy ride and Izuka felt nervous jitters in her stomach.

"Are you sure you can carry me all the way?" Izuka asked for the final time granting him a way out without hurting her feelings just in case he was taking pity on her without really meaning it, "We can call a taxi instead and split the fare, honestly I wouldn't mind."

"No, you said you didn't live far anyways. Come on, jump. I won't let you fall Izuka," he said and she hooked her arms around his neck before putting all her weight onto his back. She was quickly lifted off the ground and felt his hand grab the back of her legs to keep her steady and shied away until he mumbled an apology, "I apologize for my cold hands. I didn't think about heating them up, sorry."

"It's okay," Izuka mumbled, a blush spreading all over her face, and tried not to draw away from his touch knowing she would fall onto the concrete floor if she did. She didn't need any more bruises today, she already had a few to remind her of what happened today that would surely be tough to hide come tomorrow morning.

Thankfully, with Izuka's guidance, they managed to make it to her front doorstep within a couple of minutes and Shinso gently placed her down saddened that their day was coming to an end knowing he'd probably never see this girl ever again until the entrance exam at Yuuei. Even with his encouragement, it wasn't guaranteed that she'd go through with taking it or pass at all.

He needed to make sure she didn't fall into despair like he almost did and he knew just how to do so, "Izuka? Would you like to train with me for the entrance exam?"

"Train? With me? Why me?" Izuka asked, a blubbering mess, shocked that he would ask her of all people to help him train for a very important test that would determine his fate as a hero; his future was not something to kid about and Izuka knew that very well, "I don't have much to offer, I'm quirkless remember?"

"Do you honestly believe that? I'm lacking in the physical combat department and need a sparring partner." Shinso looked straight at her, hoping to convince her to agree as he said, "We'd both benefit from this and I'd also get the benefit of hanging out with you too."

Shinso felt the need to do this for her. A part of him knew this she was important, that she was special, and it was his job to fulfill as a future service hero to make sure she got there and was prepared to push through the disapproval on her own. It also helped that a part of him just wanted a friend to confide in.

"Okay," Izuka said with a fierce nod once she thought through his reasoning. "I'd be very honored to train with you, Shinso!"

Shinso patted her head, a small smile forming his lips. He wasn't much of a talkative person, but he had a feeling that his new friend would bring out the best in him and he couldn't wait for their training to begin. She was motivational and would probably push him to work harder. Honestly, he probably needs this more than she did.

* * *

"Kids these days, sheesh they're getting stronger every year." A slimy blob groaned in agony after being released by special police quirk-erasing cuffs, "Why the hell did I agree to help you? My back is hurting like crazy."

"Do remember, rehabilitated servant citizen, that you're getting time off your parole for this!" All Might approvingly shouted while slapping the blob's back. "It's a small price to pay and you're doing good!"

"Right…" the ex-villain said still not fully convinced that this was worth it now that his back hurt even more thanks to All Might's mighty back slap which was still sore from the blasts it received by the loud-mouthed blonde. He was supposed to be a future hero, but this kid was oddly violent. "You sure this kid was on the list?"

"Bakugo Katsuki sure is! He passed the early written exam with one of the highest marks and he seemed like a good candidate but that behavior of his might prove to be a problem," All Might scratched his chin thinking about what he had witnessed today. The blonde boy was strong for being able to hold out that long under the blob's suffocation but his explosive attitude would need work if he chose him to be the next one to bear his quirk. The other two teenagers also caught his eye.

The girl was bravely foolish and oddly inspirational for stepping in. There was no doubt that she possessed a lion heart suitable to inherit his power. However, without a quirk, she could've been hurt or killed if this had been a real villain attack.

Hesitation crept in All Might, knowing he couldn't decide a decision after just this one encounter. He still had many prospective students to test. In addition, the purple-haired seemed promising with how calm he took control of the situation and with such an interesting quirk to add.

"That girl had guts, scratching me like a cat's post." The slime offhandedly commented on examining his bruises as he transformed back into a man, "For being quirkless, she left some serious damage on me. And did you see how strong that other kid's quirk is? I'm sure many villains would kill for a quirk like that!"

All Might bonked the ex-villain's head for his comment about using quirks for criminal activities and instead said, "We'll have to continue scouting out the others and see how worthy they are of becoming my pupil before I decide on a student."

"Sorry, Sir!" He immediately apologized, bowing deeply at the waist and turned back into slime, "So who are we testing next?"

"Some boy named Minoru Mineta."

* * *

 _ **Iizuka -**_ _ **"intrigued by a challenge; likes activities that require physical effort as well as mental ingenuity; torn between the desire for system and order and desire for change and new experiences; guard against impatience and criticism of the weakness of others; impulsive nature could lead to accidents."**_


	3. little blue notebook

"Would you care to talk about last night?" Inko casually asked as she poured herself some milk into her coffee cup once Izuka descended from the stairs.

"Mom, it's nothing really," Izuka began to explain shaking her hands in front of herself as she shook her head at her mother's serious tone.

"I'm so happy! You have no idea how long I've prayed for you to come home with a boy and you're so pretty I was honestly wondering why it was taking so long," Inko gushed pinching her daughter's cheeks. "I was beginning to worry that someon- something was scaring them off, but never mind that. I'm just so excited how fast your growing as a woman!"

Izuka ignored the sting from her mother's antics and played along, glad that her mother didn't notice the bruises covering her body or how she winced whenever she moved. Her mother honestly didn't seem to catch how sluggish she was moving this morning.

"Thanks, mom. Although, Shinso's just a friend – nothing more!" Izuka laughed scratching the back of her exposed neck. She had decided to wear a bun today with a yellow All Might ribbon tied around it, the ends of it falling down her shoulders, "We're going to be training together for Yuuei's entrance exam."

"Shinso is it? What a nice name and he wants to be a hero too? That's great Izuka!" Inko said, her smile growing at the news that he still liked her despite her being quirkless. She recalled how unfavorable Izuka seemed to others once they found out that she was pursuing a career as a hero without a quirk and how others shunned her friendship because of it. Everything seemed to be turning around for her daughter and Inko couldn't be any prouder and excited of what's to come next.

"When will you be seeing him again Izuka?" Inko curiously asked hoping it would be soon so she could meet the young boy for herself too. From her window last night, he seemed cute and she could only determine how handsome he truly is in person.

Now that Izuka thought of it, Shinso and she hadn't talked about a schedule when they would meet for training. They hadn't even swapped phone numbers and she briefly panicked wondering if she'd ever see him again and truthfully said, "I'm not sure, we haven't gotten that far ahead into planning it."

"Oh," Inko said, her smile slightly falling but hope still twinkled in her eyes, "Is he one of your classmates at Aldera?"

"No. He attends Nabu middle…" Izuka replied with a frown herself. How was she going to talk to Shinso when he was all the way on the other side of town? It's not as if he would show up at her school…but then again, he was bold enough to carry her home like a perfect gentleman.

Inko faltered, almost dropping her cup of coffee as a thought entered her mind: was this another cruel joke being played on Izuku? But as she watched her daughter stare off into space with a blush covering her features, she knew this wasn't a trick. Inko sadly smiled brushing a wild curl out of her daughter's face, knowing that her beautiful daughter had been subjected to bullying but never once mentioned it. Her daughter was stronger than she gave herself credit for.

"Mom?" Izuka asked confused by her mother's worried expression, "Everything alright?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Inko asked patting her head, warmth filling her sad orbs with happiness once more. "You're Izuka Midoriya."

Izuka laughed at her sweet mother's antics, kissing her forehead, "Thanks, mom."

"Now, hurry, you don't want to be late to class," Inko scolded cutting the touchy moment short before she broke out crying from such sentiments.

"R-right!" Izuka said shuffling to her feet and coming to terms that she would see Bakugou today. She feared what cruel words he would spit at her today after their little run-in with a villain. Knowing Katsuki, he would confront her first thing today or completely ignore her existence; and it was hard to tell when it came to the hot-headed blonde.

However, once Izuka found herself sitting in her desk without a hair harmed, she gaped at the empty seat in front of her wondering what dark corner Bakugou was going to jump out of and scare her to death.

"Didn't you hear? Katsuki called out sick after defeating that villain that attacked him. He's so cool," a girl nearby gossiped at another gushing girl that Izuka recognized as Bakugou's fangirls. "There's no doubt that he's going to be a pro-hero in no time. Imagine if I was his girlfriend through it all! We'd be a famous power couple!"

Sweat dripped on Izuka's forehead knowing she really shouldn't be listening in on their private conversation but she couldn't help it. She also couldn't deny that she also agreed that Bakugou would someday become a top hero with his strong quirk; it was something she once praised when they were younger.

Looking past his scathing behavior, he was amazing. He was powerful and she reluctantly agreed that he could definitely make it as the top hero someday with that explosive quirk of his. Ever since they were children, he was the smartest, bravest, and strongest out of the group during their explorations at the park. He was the leader, charging head-first and showing off his fiery blasts to any who gave him their attention.

But that was in the past when he had also been kinder to her…when they were still friends on talkative terms who watched All Might shows together during sleepovers. She could fondly recall one time when they had reenacted a popular All Might fighting off villains video where Kacchan had once saved her from getting eaten.

Now, they were only childhood friends of the past and she secretly hated herself for still admiring how steadfast Bakugo was to pursue his goal of becoming a pro-hero. Somedays she wished she hated him for being so much stronger and better than her, but she could never bring herself to feel that way about him.

Her mother once told her that she was too nice to be angry at such pointless things which she could never change. Katsuki had a quirk that he kept growing and training with, and she didn't; it didn't help that she was also female and lacked muscle. According to basic logic, he was going to be stronger than her whether she liked it or not.

Sighing, Izuka propped her head on her desk. At least she had lucked out of receiving Bakugou's fiery glare today and she didn't know how much good had come from him getting trapped in a slime villain until she found herself standing in front of Shinso.

"Izuka," he stated her name like a greeting and she almost turned to look behind her because surely, he wasn't on her school grounds for the sole purpose to seek her out.

"Shinso? What are you doing here?" She asked wide-eyed, secretly pinching her arm to make sure she wasn't dreaming and hadn't accidentally overslept because kami, it was just rare for her to have a good day. First Katsuki called out sick and now her new friend was here at her school naturally fitting in despite his different colored uniform.

Unlike her black blouse and skirt, he was wearing navy and it nicely complimented his hair but brought out his dark under eyes and made him appear tired. Surely, a lighter shade of that uniform would've helped him appear livelier like the sky blue he had on yesterday.

"Did you happen to get dropped off at the wrong school?" Izuka blurted out without filtering her thought first and she faintly blushed for letting that slip once she registered what she had just said.

Shinso bit his tongue; she was just too funny and he was afraid that if he laughed, she would take it the wrong way and get offended. He didn't want to risk losing his new friend over a stupid misunderstanding.

"No, we had an agreement to train or have you forgotten me already after a single night?" He teased her watching her puppy eyes widen some more; he didn't think her big eyes could grow some more. At that moment, he could briefly comprehend why that blonde idiot saw her as weak.

She was thin and way too pale. He would take it upon himself to train her until she didn't look so vulnerable. A tan and some self-defense moves would surely keep males like that arrogant blonde away and prove she could take care of herself.

Izuka fiercely shook her head alerting him that she couldn't forget such a thing so easily. "Of course not! B-but you want to train right now?"

"Why not?" Shinso asked. Honestly, he hadn't planned to train with her today and just discuss their schedules to come up with a meeting time and place, but deciding that the sooner they began training then the faster they'd both progress. He wouldn't mind this change of plans if something good was coming out of it.

"The sun doesn't set until a couple more hours thanks to the daylight savings time change," Izuka concluded agreeing with his reasoning to decide to train at this very moment, "I think I know of the perfect place to train!"

Shinso was about to admit that he was only joking for today, but Izuka cut him off saying, "It's hardly inhabited with a park nearby and we can train in peace without having anyone bother us. I-I would prefer if no one from school knew that I was training and on the plus side, it's close by."

"Very well, you can lead," Shinso said, surprising Izuka a bit. His mind wandered off to a very specific schoolmate who'd have no trouble telling them off if he witnessed them training; and oh, the rumors that blonde, big-mouthed, idiot would say to the rest of her class. He himself was known as a freak and knew how troublesome rumors could lead up to Izuka being picked on. She was already quirkless and she didn't need to give them any more reason for them to taunt her.

Izuka didn't miss a beat as she grabbed his hand and strung him along beside her. She had never been the leader before at anything; always tailing behind Katsuki when they were kids and then just hiding amongst the crowd during school. It felt foreign to her to be the one in charge and as she led Shinso into a secluded beach, she couldn't help but beam at the fact that she rather liked the feeling of being the frontrunner.

"What's with that grin? I do hope it doesn't get wiped off once we begin our regimen." Shinso said eyeing the junkyard beach around him as Izuka daydreamed in a corner, "I won't go easy on you and it seems that our first task is to make some space to train. What a shame the beauty of the sunset will be wasted in this dump."

"You know, I always wanted to pick up all the trash," Izuka sighed with a sad smile recalling one of her mother's stories of how she would bring her as a baby to play in the sand with her father but now, all that was left was now littered with empty cans and plastics. "I was once told that Dagobah beach was so beautiful...a place where everyone can leave their worries behind and just relax."

As he stared at her absentminded features, Shinso couldn't help but compare restoring the potential beauty of the beach with bringing out Izuka's own. He knew that what she lacked in quirk power she would have to make up in some other way and with a glance at her tiny frame, he knew that others in the exam would take advantage of that. She needed something to help her endure the exam until the end and that meant she needed to build her strength to avoid getting crushed.

A plan formed in his head right at that moment and he knew it was fate for it would get tackle two birds with one stone, "Then, that shall be the first thing on out training regimen. We'll clean the beach until it's accessible for the public to enjoy again."

"Are you serious?" Izuka turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling with mirth and he couldn't help but nod in reassurance feeling the need to make her happy while she said, "You sound like a hero already Shinso!"

He briefly wondered who in their right mind wouldn't blush from such a compliment?

"It's nothing like that really, it's just that picking up this trash will help us build endurance and strengthen our muscles for what may come on the test."

"Alright!" Izuka said snapping the purple-haired boy from his trance and rolled up her sleeves. "So where should we get started? This is so exciting!"

Shinso stood dumbly, slightly distracted by how brightly Izuka's face was glowing from joy until he finally found the sense to mutter back a reply, "Maybe, we should just work on this corner for today."

"Okay!"

* * *

"Izuka?" Shinso asked staring down at the girl sprawled on the floor with a frown as she stared up at tri-colored sunset from her sandy spot. He had only been gone for a few minutes to fetch refreshments across the street where there stood a tiny liquor store.

"How is it that we only managed to clear up so little?"

Shinso glanced back behind him to survey their hard work for today. They had managed to get rid of the small pieces of trash first, like cigarette buds, cans, and loose plastic. Afterward, they had moved onto bigger articles consisting of spare tires that had somehow wandered outside of the junkyard along with anything they could easily carry or move alone and together.

Although it sounded like much, many of these items were stacked upon one another and getting rid of a little bit of the clutter didn't seem like much to the eye. Izuka stared at the ocean waves hypnotized by the twinkling blue shimmers every time it crashed against the water's surface. Something about its relentless rhythm called out to her in clarity reminding her that even the ocean never stopped moving despite how it appeared lifeless on paintings.

"Well, we've only been here for about three hours," he said trying to comfort her as he handed her a chilled water bottle and reclined next to her on a clean little part of the shore.

"Yeah, you're right. I just guess that I thought we could do it all today, but it takes time and effort to see the result of your work."

Shinso nodded, just watching her sadly down her drink out of the corner of her eye wondering what he could say to make her feel better.

"You know Shinso," Izuka said turning to him unexpectedly in a cheery tone surprising him from how quickly she recovered from her sadden mood. "At least this means that we get to hang out more seeing as this might take lots of time to clean it all up!"

Izuka couldn't stop thinking about the oceanic waves; it didn't take breaks and the noise it made inspired her to want to continue her task, "So? Should we get back to it?"

"We did all we could for today," Shinso said cutting her encouragement to clean short. "We shouldn't push ourselves when we're not ready to take on the big trash out yet. The point is to strengthen, not hurt our bodies and just like you said, it takes time to see progress."

"R-right!" Izuka said blushing in embarrassment for getting ahead of herself.

"Come on, let me walk you home before your parents worry."

"There's no need Shinso," Izuka replied.

Shinso tilted his head at her wondering if anything he said about wanting to be her friend stayed in her head, thus wanting to make sure she made it home safely. Or, maybe, she's too nice thinking that this was troublesome for him. He could easily believe the latter seeing that she always seemed to find new ways to surprise him.

"I'll be perfectly fine walking home alone. I do it all the time."

"I don't want you to think you can't take care of yourself, I have no doubt that you'd be able to find your way out of any bad situation, but I would really like to join you just to make sure a situation like that doesn't arise," Shinso replied extending his hand out for her to reach as he stood and watched her with hope that she'd accept his help because that's what friends were for right?

"Okay," she said grabbing onto his outstretched hand and letting him help her onto her feet with a soft smile, thankful that she had finally found such a kind friend.

However, Shinso doubted his feelings and actions were friend-based as his palms grew sweaty upon her touch.

Bakugo nervously clenched the plastic bag thus, creating rustling sounds which grated his ears in frustration but he pushed it all away and channeled his anger by knocking at the door instead. He shouldn't be here, he shouldn't have bought her this stupid blue book that had caught his eye in the store because now he was obligated to give it to her and she was the last person he wanted to see.

If he turned now, he could still make a run for it; but he wasn't a coward. He wasn't like her when she had run away from him and into the darkness like an idiot; who knows what danger – or pervert – lurked in the lightless corners of the streets at night.

"Katsuki?" Inko asked snapping Bakugo from his thoughts.

She looked tired sporting her typical lackluster braid, but her face seemed too awake as if she was still up expectantly waiting for someone to arrive. He wondered how he hadn't noticed her crack open the door nor the bright lights that shined in his face from answering his knock. It was as if she _was_ nearby, prepared to open the door with how quickly she had answered him.

"Are you looking for Izuka?" She asked glancing down at the bag in his hand and reminding him why he was originally there for again.

Bakugo blushed under her scrutinizing gaze feeling like a fool for showing such emotions as he muttered back, "Yeah, is she home?"

"No," Inko deeply sighed in worry opening the door further, "Izuka went out and hasn't returned. Would you like to come in and wait for her with me?"

Bakugo dwelled on the thought that she was somewhere alone this late at night; it slightly angered him that she did such silly things like this. Truly, nothing about her had changed since they were little. She was a constant forgetter and there was one year when she just slept on her desk all day; no wonder she had gotten the lowest scores that year. And she was always too trusting and he hated how easy it was to take advantage of that innocence.

"It's nothing urgent. Sorry for bothering you."

Inko stared at the blonde boy strangely. She knew he had something on his mind with the way he kept peering down at the bag in his hands. She wondered what exactly he had in there and was very cautious because this wasn't any boy. Katsuki was Izuka's first friend ever who ended up leaving her daughter behind and it was so rare to see him around any more…last time they had hung out was in elementary.

Something had obviously happened for their friendship to come to an end, but Izuka was never one to gossip and shut herself in her room whenever she asked about the topic. Inko had come to learn to not mention Izuka's past with the blonde-haired boy and they both somehow pretended that it never happened except for when they see Bakugo's mom at the market who still seems unaware that their children no longer associate with one another.

Now, here he was standing in her doorstep out of the blue taking extreme care to not blow up what he had wrapped in his possession.

"Very well, Katsuki, do take care," Inko replied with a glimmer of hope that he'd change his mind, but as she began closing the door, she frowned seeing the young boy turn around with a slouch and walk away. It didn't help that she was still oddly curious to what he was carrying and why he was seeking her daughter after all this time. There used to be a day when she could have sworn that they'd be inseparable and in a relationship right now.

* * *

"Where are you Deku? Making me come all the way here for nothing." Bakugo muttered under his breath in anger, "Hurry up and come home so you could stop wasting my time."

His patience was running thin and he didn't appreciate wasting such a nice day where he could have been working out his physique. And he was not going to waste another day coming back here; so, he was going to wait for her. Which is a much better plan than having to wait under the watchful eye of Deku's mother who would make the situation awkward and probably jump to conclusions because that's what his snoopy mother would do.

He didn't even understand himself why he went ahead and bought her a notebook after that joke she pulled claiming that she was trying to save him yesterday.

Bakugo was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice her approaching and he honestly would have wished that he went straight home instead. But he wasn't a coward, and he put his hesitance aside in exchange for taking a step towards her and that's when he also noticed that she had company.

Why did his observation skills stop working now of all days? Quickly, he ducked under a nearby bush praying whoever she was with wasn't from their school and hadn't seen him because this would tarnish his reputation.

"Izuka?" Inko asked startling the two teens outside of her door with owl eyes as she blinked at who she guessed was Shinso, "Is this your friend?"

The lights seeping from inside revealed to Bakugo that the boy next to Deku was the same purple-haired person from last night's attack and he couldn't help but cover his face with a scowl. Hadn't they only met yesterday and what the hell were they doing out so late?

"Y-yes, this is Shinso; Shinso, this is my mom," she replied with a light blush not daring to look at Shinso's face in hope that she wasn't putting him in such an awkward position. Hopefully, this wouldn't jeopardize their friendship, she just didn't know what to do properly in a situation like this; it's not like she had experience bringing friends home.

Shocking the girl, Shinso gracefully bowed before her mother and introduced himself as if it was second nature to him, "Midoriya-san, it's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for how late I kept Izuka out, it seems that we lost track of time and it slipped our minds to call you about our whereabouts. We didn't mean to worry you."

"Shinso! There's really no need for," complained Izuka but her mother's wide smile left her forgetting just what she was going to say next, "…that. Mom?"

"It's so good to meet you too!" Inko said teary-eyed, "Please excuse me, it's just so nice to finally have one of Izuka's friends over although it is late already; you must come some other time to eat dinner, I insist."

As Bakugo witnessed all this, he hated how casual Izuka acted around him already. Not only that, but Shinso's actions confirmed Bakugo's hunch that he should hate the purple-haired moron; he was so well-mannered it was suspicious and he didn't like how easily he won Inko already. He was too proper for his tastes and the opposite of himself.

With a grunt, he turned around tuning out their conversation and escaped his hiding spot. He couldn't stand how ruined his day had become because of Deku. Why couldn't she just be home alone today out of all days?

But no, she had to be out with a boy. The same boy who had saved her from the slime monster that he could have beaten up by himself if he was already at Yuuei. He hated how everything had turned out and needing a release, he blew up the bag in his hand along with the contents inside until it turned into a heap of ash.

He was definitely going to train and not waste another day thinking about Deku and her silly choices in friends. It's not like he was a threat to his own non-existent relationship with the girl. Besides, knowing her, their friendship wouldn't last seeing as how he didn't attend the same school as they did.


	4. Which is it? Pride or Character

"It's always been my dream to see you get involved with a boy Izuka," Inko giggled peeking out the window's blinds to see Shinso's back as he walked away from their house.

Izuka just blushed. She couldn't tell what was more embarrassing, the implication behind her mother's comment or the fact that she was gushing like a school girl in love. But Izuka didn't point out her humility because she was just so happy to see her mother in a cheery mood. She had just been so sad lately and nothing she had done had brought a smile to her face like tonight had.

Letting a smile slip through, Izuka knew that it was definitely going to keep getting better from here on out. She was not going to let that smile slip from her mother's face if she could help it.

"You know Izuka, I approve of him!" Inko shouted at her daughter who was retreating to her room for the night.

She stopped midway looking back at her mom with wide-eyes, slowly filtering what she had just told her, "You really wouldn't mind if I dated?"

"You're young Izuka, you have to live your life. Don't girls your age go out anymore?"

Izuka could tell her mom was confused as to why she was shocked at that declaration. She knew deep down that this talk would eventually come, but she had never thought that it would happen to her nor that it would be so _easy_.

Her mom didn't oppose like other parents she heard girls complain about and she had imaged that she would be fighting like in the soap operas and the girls in her class. Besides, it was beyond obvious that she wasn't attractive considering how she was the odd one in the class. Things like that didn't happen to girls like her and she'd come to terms that she wasn't cut for relationships.

"Did I say something wrong Izuka?"

Izuka shook her head, "Of course not; thank you for your support mom. G-Girls my age do go out it's just that…Shinso and I are just friends. I may not know what love is just yet, but I'll know it when the time comes and I'll be sure that you'll be the first one to know."

Inko ran to hug her daughter wondering what she did right to end up with such a kind-hearted young girl, "You know Izuka, sometimes feelings can grow over time between two people who've grown accustomed to each other. Love isn't necessarily something you can explain and when it does happen, you just get blindsided by it."

"I see." Izuka hummed thinking about the purple-haired boy as her gut tugged at her as if saying that he didn't feel that way about her and she shouldn't make a big deal of something that was nothing. But her mother never unintentionally gave words of wisdom often, and this had her wondering about her mother's own love life, "Is that how you felt with dad?"

Inko watched her daughter's shining eyes shining with curiosity. How could she tell her that her feelings for Izuka's father were beyond love? That love was only a word she knew of the past and the present love only surrounds Izuka's wellbeing? She couldn't tell her that the only feelings she ever felt was worry nowadays. So, she didn't and instead kissed the girl's forehead in reply because that's the only reply she could muster.

* * *

"Did you hear the news circulating the admissions office?" a secretary gossiped to her neighboring cubicle in a hushed tone.

"No, what's going on?"

That worrisome tone caught the flame hero's interest.

If there was an emergency, he wanted to be the first one to know and be there to save the day so he could become the Number One Hero. He greatly disliked coming in second to the scene of the crimes and continuously getting surpassed by All Might who always managed to be the first one there when something was wrong.

If he was honest, it was unfair and he would do anything to finally get the upper hand in beating the man. He secretly knew that at this rate, only possessing such a simple fire quirk, he would never accomplish such a feat as beating All Might but he was making sure that his successor would.

Endeavor had been keeping a close eye on his son who would one-day pass All Might with his own merit and strong ability from controlling both ice and fire at will. Although the boy despised using his fire quirk, Endeavor kept pushing and testing his patience to give into the heat. If he didn't, Endeavor knew he would never reach his full potential.

It would all be a waste if it ever came to that and Endeavor would never forgive him if that did happen.

"It appears that we've received our first ever quirkless candidate and it isn't even a joke! She's really serious and even included all the necessary paperwork with her application…"

He backtracked, freezing in his place as he filtered what he had just heard.

Although it seemed that this wasn't what the flame hero hoped to have heard, his ambitious mind took advantage of that knowledge knowing that there was a potential opportunity here. Realization dawned him as he handed Shoto Todoroki's recommendation papers to the admissions office that there was no guarantee that his son was going to use his fire side ever.

He would need a back-up successor with the same qualities as Shoto and what better way than for him to pass on the quirk to a son of a quirkless mother? He could have a non-defiant grandson who would grow to embrace and use both sides of his powers. The best part of this would be that Endeavor would have a better chance of the little monster listening to him. It would set his plan of seeing his blood be in the top hero rank back a few years, but it was a risk he'd be more than happy to invest in.

A quirk marriage would also be retribution to punish his son's rebelliousness against him and it was common enough that no one would bat an eye in his direction. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to see his quirk creation continue through another generation with little red-headed boys…or girls running around. He could care less about the gender as long as they lived up to his standards.

Now all he had to do was investigate about this quirkless girl. He had no doubt that she wouldn't get accepted into Yuuei and saddened by the news of not being able to become a hero, it would be perfect timing for him to sweep in and show her the opportunity of raising a hero instead. With her emotions fluctuating, he could easily convince her that she could be included in the hero community by being part of the best hero family in the world and nurture her kin into success. She could have children who would achieve her dreams like Endeavor did.

But first, he needed to make preparations to see if she was compatible with his aloof son; maybe she could even bring him out of his shell. It also wouldn't do if they weren't attracted to each other or if she came from a long history of quirkless relatives. But if everything turned out fine the-

Endeavor grunted, his chirpy mood fading as he watched his rival enter the admissions building too.

"Endeavor!" All Might greeted with the familiar hero with friendly enthusiasm, "So good to see you! How is work as of late?"

"Heroic as usual," scoffed Endeavor not wanting to make light of the situation like he did. Heroes are supposed to be serious and getting the job done, definitely not jolly, "What are you doing here at the admissions office? Submitting an application for your non-existent successor? Will your legacy finally die with you?"

All Might paled wondering if Endeavor had finally uncovered his secret about looking for an inheritor of One for All within the pool of the new upcoming students. Honestly, the man was a genius for a reason despite his always grumpy behavior. It made sense that he would be the one to add up the clues about why All Might had a folder of all the candidate's information in his hands.

It didn't help that rumors had spread amongst scouts and teachers that the applicants for the upcoming year were promising. According to the press, they were expected to be the most powerful and highly capable candidates to have ever applied in the past three years.

"I do hope you're prepared because Shoto will surpass you," Endeavor said with a prideful smirk and suddenly All Might knew what this was truly about. It wasn't about his secret coming loose, it was about the flame hero's one-sided rivalry and obsession with the hero ranks.

"Is that a threat I hear?" All Might bolstered with a chuckle letting out his nervousness from thinking that Endeavor had found out his secret, "Who says I'm not looking for a student that I see the potential to train and pour all my knowledge into?"

Endeavor glared at the Number One Hero, gauging to see if he was joking or not.

All Might just laughed, relishing in the feeling that he had finally gotten to the man. He really shouldn't but All Might enjoyed how his teasing seemed to have made Endeavor panic and feeling somewhat guilty, he walked away not wanting to give away too much.

If he had stayed, the situation would've escalated. There was no point in provoking the man who thought that he was better than everyone else. Although it was amusing and in his opinion, heroes shouldn't be so serious all the time; it just wasn't right!

This was why, even though All Might had to hide his intentions for finding a student to train, he had pulled Endeavor's leg by revealing a bit of the truth to mess with his mind. If not just to have a little fun himself.

* * *

Izuka rolled over to her side, relentless and unable to sleep.

She just couldn't close her eyes without seeing those piercing blue and red eyes from her nightmares. They always just stared at her, watching her every move and whenever she had this nightmare, the room seemed to suddenly drop temperature. She shivered, her body trembling until she woke up to the warmth and familiarity of her own room.

In her dreams, she had tried to make sense of those eyes. Tried to tie it to someone she knew, but she didn't recognize anyone with such captivating eyes that could hold both hatred and self-confidence. And this dream always ended the same with her wanting to reach the small light in those eyes; she'd take a peek into the light of those eyes trying desperately to understand the pain held in them until she felt an overwhelming sensation that she was drowning before getting pushed out of her own dreams.

One thing she learned from those haunting eyes was to never give up hope because she knew that every time she dreamt of it, she was getting close to the owner of those curious eyes hiding in the dark. She knew this because although the eyes were colorful, they were never vibrant always flicking here and there watching her every move in anticipation and fear.

And that's what intrigued her so much: how could eyes that held so much anger show fear towards her? It's not like she was powerful enough to destroy the individual behind these eyes once she finally reached them.

Getting up from her bed in hopes that a warm shower would help fight the cold off, Izuka couldn't help but be disappointed that even in her dreams she was weak. She held no more power in the dream realm than she did in real life; she couldn't even help those suffering eyes that called out to her.

Despite getting her slumber cut short, she also looked forward to class today knowing that they would receive word about back about their applications and submit more papers to continue the process of admissions. It was going to be a good day for her. Not only that but at least she now had her training sessions with Shinso to see to. That was her favorite part of the day knowing that she was becoming mentally and physically stronger as it showed considering they had cleaned one-fourth of the beach already.

They would meet at the beach at the same time every day after classes, chat as they donned their clothes to reveal gym slacks underneath and then got to work for a few hours or until their hands reddened and they could go no more. However, they never met on the weekends seeing as how Shinso urged to have rest days and he once mentioned that he had other compromises that kept him busy Saturday mornings.

She hated taking these forced breaks, but would never tell him that. Nor would she admit that she would sneak off on her own and clean a little by herself every now and then; although she was sure he suspected it by giving her unnecessary breaks the following day claiming that they were working too hard.

This new part of her life was exciting for her. She no longer wallowed in her misery and she would find the owner of those eyes once she was strong enough to pass the entrance exam.

"Izuka? Everything alright?" Inko called through the door after hearing the shuffling feet of her daughter.

"Yeah, just going to take a shower."

Inko sighed, knowing that this was usual for her daughter to rummage around with her thoughts past midnight. She knew that her beautiful daughter was plagued with bad dreams and was saddened that she couldn't help her; recalling that very first night when Izuka woke up sweating, her body shivering and ice cold to the touch.

But she could make Izuka some warm tea to help warm her up and that's exactly what she did. What she wouldn't do, however, was tell her already troubled daughter about her surprise visit a month ago. If she ever found out, Izuka might be disappointed in her, but she had to understand that she was protecting her for her own good.

How would she react to learn that Katsuki had come looking for her after being cast away from him? Even if the blonde young man was now offering an olive brand and trying to amend his past with her daughter, she was not going to ruin Izuka's newfound luck gained from her new friend.

She had witnessed her daughter glowing every time they returned here from their workouts. Over these past weeks, Izuka was happier, smiled more, and the freckles in her eyes were brighter than ever. The blonde would only bring back washed away memories of pain and she didn't know if Izuka could take any more nuisances than the ones she was juggling with that Bakugo had already gifted her with.

* * *

"Shinso? What are you doing here?!" Izuka jumped as she realized that it really was the same purple haired boy standing in front of her school with an impassive look in his eye. Although it seemed like he didn't want to be here, she knew better as she caught that subtle glint in his eyes that he sent her way.

"I got bored waiting," Shinso said extending his hand out to carry her backpack in a gentlemanly manner, "It also grants us more time to spend together."

Izuka laughed startling classmates around her who only knew her as the girl without friends; the girl who didn't talk and was never loud. These curious eyes from the crowd continued to survey what was transpiring between the pair. It occurred to the onlookers that their quirkless classmate was very close to the boy from their rival school to be able to relax so much in his presence compared to how anxious she always appeared to be in class. If they squinted really hard, it almost seemed like a romance was blossoming the way the purple-haired boy was entranced by her and only her.

Izuka rejected his offer to carry her belongings, her face brightening with thought as she embarrassingly admitted, "I forgot to wear my work-out clothes! Let me go back and change quickly. Sorry Shinso, for making you wait even longer."

"It's not a problem, truly," Shinso said with a small smile tugging his lips as she entertained him with her cute worried facial expressions. "I promise I won't ditch you Izuka. I've waited for you to finish classes, I'm sure I can wait a little longer."

Izuka gave him a smile in exchange for his kindness before running inside to quickly change her outfit. She didn't want to keep him waiting too long and it was definitely not because she wanted to escape from all the prying eyes that were sizing him up.

Shinso watched as she disappeared his own eyes glued to her back, briefly ignoring the world around him, and he moved to sit on a nearby bench but ended up accidentally bumping into another person. His hypnotic state broke and he opened his mouth to apologized to the individual. He was right was on the verge of explaining that all his attention had been focused on one individual until he realized exactly who he had run into.

"You look like a fuckin fish with your mouth open like that."

"Oh, it's you," Shinso said, the apology all but vanishing from the tip of his tongue.

"What's your bloody problem?" Bakugo barks at him noticing all his 'gentlemanly' manners from that unspeakable night had managed to disappear. "Don't even know how to say that you're sorry? Pathetic shit."

Shinso choked back a sly remark and a growl at the blonde's crude words but for Izuka's sake, he held it all back. He was not going to cause a scene at her school; she was already known as the black sheep and she didn't need any more rumors tallied against her. Next time though, when they were alone he wouldn't pass up the chance to give the fiery blonde a piece of his mind.

Bakugo watched with a suspicious glare as the purple-haired idiot coughed and ignored his presence instead if fighting him like a man. Which meant that Shinso was no man and not worth his attention.

Smirking, Bakugo turned his back and continued his route home without a second thought about why he was even there. Instead, his mind was filled with thoughts that he had beaten the good for nothing purple-brained idiot. And he should've pushed his pride away and really focus on the important things because he couldn't stop thinking about that unanswered question for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, Izuka starred at her reflection with a heavy sigh, silently berating herself for forgetting to wash her gym clothes.

She instead resorted to wearing her sports bra and joggers; which happened to show a bit more than she was comfortable with. Pinching her cheeks knowing she had already taken too long in the bathroom, she twisted her ponytail and tied it back into a high bun with her scrunchie. It was too late to change the situation and now all she could do was see the bright side of things.

In a hurry, she hastily escaped from the room with her bookbag covering her bare stomach as she ran towards the male sitting on a bench glaring at the sidewalk as if it had offended him.

"Everything alright Shinso?"

The purple-haired boy snapped looking up at her as he took in her appearance. He never had a doubt that she wasn't attractive, but at that moment, her presence further strengthened his growing opinion of her. Her attire was the perfect balance of conservative and revealing leaving much to the imagination and her stomach looked enticing enough to touch as he wondered if it was as smooth as it appeared to be. And it didn't help that her freckled skin rivaled that of a very captivatingly painting.

She was cute and why anyone didn't want to befriend such a beauty bogged his mind.

Izuka blushed scarlet thanks to her insecurity as his eyes roamed from her head to her toes. She knew she wasn't that nice to look at so she couldn't help that his prolonged stare made her uncomfortable.

Shinso noticed that hesitancy in her stance as she shifted from one foot to another and before she could say something negative about herself, he said, "You look nice. Green suits you perfectly."

"Thanks," she said in a breathless tone as he caught her off guard with his comment. Scratching her cheek, she shifted the conversation into a more common territory, "We should get going. The beach isn't going to clean itself you know."

"Right," Shinso agreed, standing and purposely not offering to carry her back seeing as she held tightly onto it in front of her like a security blanket. His jaw clenched and it irked him that she didn't see what he was seeing. He briefly wondered who else saw this side of her.

"You're tense, are you sure you're okay?" Izuka asked again in a motherly tone, disregarding her outfit for a brief second and as concern for her purple-haired friend consumed her. He wasn't usually like this, he was usually very indifferent but something seemed to have immensely bothered him for it to show.

"It's nothing important," Shinso shrugged it off not wanting to make her feel insecure again as it seemed that she temporarily forgot about her self-doubt.

"Surely, it must be something if it's on your mind," Izuka said with a light laugh as she placed her hand on his shoulder in a means to comfort him and let him know that he could trust her, "I've read that it helps to talk about it with a friend."

"Taking liberties with this new friendship of ours?" Shinso joked and he managed to get a laugh out of her. He very much preferred her this way; happy and care-free.

"What if I am?" Izuka teased realizing that they were a few blocks away from the beach already. "That's what true friends do. They're quite horrible if you think about it."

"I can't help but agree that you are bad for me," Shinso teased back and received a jab in his ribs by her elbow. "Hey! That's my good side you're abusing."

"Really? I couldn't tell…" she hummed, faking ignorance while the sun shone in her face hiding her blush before she sprinted off into the sandy shore knowing he'd be hot on her heels any second now to get her back for her comment.

"Don't run off coward! Come fight me!"

"I'm no coward!" Izuka giggled shouting back at him, but he had caught up with her and lifted her into the air earning a scream in return. "Put me down so we can have a proper spar!"

"Will you promise to stop bruising my ribs if I do?" Shinso teased setting her down and they fell into a side-by-side routine as they cleaned the beach.

Hours passed and Izuka relished every blissful little moment. Nothing special ever happened in her life so it was no shock that her life had never been perfect, but these small moments as the sun kissed the ocean's surface came relatively close. She loved how her worries seemed to disappear and all she could worry about was what she would clean next.

"I think once we finish cleaning, we will be ready to spar each other," Shinso lightly commented starring at the new visitors admiring the clean parts of the beach view too.

Izuka briefly wondered when they arrived and how long they've been here, "That'd be great. I can't wait to start working on my fighting stance and learning how to defend and attack."

"Maybe two weeks after spring break, we'll get there."

"No way!" Izuka protested, "The heavier stuff will probably delay us by two days within our vacation but we'd be fully finished by spring break."

"Not at the pace you're going asking me for help with pushing debris every now and then," Shinso teased poking her upper bicep which seemed to be toning rather attractively, "Spring break is three months from now."

"Well, now that you're in a much happier mood, care to tell me what was on your mind? I really did mean it when I said you could tell me anything, we are friends after all."

Izuka sported those big, round puppy eyes that pleaded him to give in and Shinso couldn't seem to look away from how green her eyes glowed. They seemed to be glowing with more confidence than that last time when they were covered by her tears.

He almost gave in to telling her that Bakugo's rude attitude was still in his mind – almost. Shinso didn't want to ruin their little piece of quietness by bringing up the topic that seemed to bother them both and he found himself telling her another secret that wouldn't hurt them as much instead.

"It's about next month. I'll be going out of town-"

"Next month?" Izuka asked biting her bottom lip in worry. This changed things; mainly her new routine that she loved.

"Are you mad?" Shinso asked a bit self-conscious that maybe he had strained their relationship and he had wanted to avoid that.

"Of course not," Izuka said reassuring him that he hadn't done anything wrong. It wasn't his fault, but she couldn't help that her thoughts seemed to swarm in her head, "What would I do with a whole month without you?"

Shisno watched that she was on the verge of pulling her hair out and fondly concluded that she was stressing with thoughts that she'd be alone again. With him gone, she wouldn't have these little escapades of reality and he grinned realizing that she wanted him around. She was afraid that things would go back to how it was with him gone. With a warm smile, he placed a hand on her head, ruffling her curls to help calm her.

"It's just a month and then I'll be back. That's why I'll be there outside of your school waiting for you so we could spend more time together to make up that lost time." Shinso mentally noticed that he rather liked when her eyes grew with enthusiasm too, "That is if you don't mind me coming to your school every day."

Izuka smiled returning the gesture and patted his head too, "You're amazing Shinso. Thank you."

The rest of the weeks had gone by quickly and Izuka found herself constantly glancing out the window during her last class trying to catch a glimpse of her friend waiting outside. She had already gotten used to him just smiling and waving at her from the glass below. It was going to be so hard for her to readjust back to the old ways when he wasn't there for the upcoming month.

"What are you starring at Deku?" Katsuki growled bringing her mind back into the classroom as she noticed that everyone was looking at her and she tensed wondering what she had missed. "We don't have all day, just answer the damn question already."

"That's enough," her professor for that hour said before Bakugo's aggression escalated knowing the blonde's anger was easily ignited when it came to the petite girl. "Why don't we end it here considering Ms. Midoriya isn't the only one with glazed eyes. Izuka, before you leave please see me."

The students laughed at the teacher's joke but rushed in a hurry of excitement that class had ended fifteen minutes early.

"Nice going idiot," Bakugo mumbled nearby, mirth covering every word as he enjoyed that she was getting called for a little talk because she was daydreaming. It wasn't good for her to be distracted by god knows what. She needed to pay attention in class if she wanted to succeed in life and once her plan of becoming a hero backfired, she would need high marks to get accepted into a decent job.

Izuka just stole a glance at him, knowing whatever she said would be pointless. He was already agitated and she would appreciate it if she didn't get held up by him too considering that she still needed to change her clothes. She didn't want to worry Shinso with why she was taking so long.

Packing her things, she quickly made her way over to the professor's desk preparing herself for a warning speech about her unacceptable behavior.

"Midoriya, on behalf of Yuuei I apologize for their slow response to your application. They seem to be behind this year since they've received more applicants than what they expected. You're just missing a few papers to declare what major you'll be specializing in." Her professor spoke handing her a vanilla file that seemed rather stuffed than the others sitting on his desk and her eyes briefly caught one with Katsuki's name on it. His, in particular, seemed empty compared to her own.

"I know you won't change your mind about the school you want to get into and I have no qualms with it," he continued snapping her eyes back onto her own folder, "but we have to be realistic Izuka. Apply for the Hero class and give your dream a shot, however, look into Yuuei's other extraordinary class departments to see what may be the better fit."

She was wide-eyed taking into consideration her professor's advice to heart. He was right, she was quirkless after all and she would need a backup plan in case she got rejected. Somehow, the folder in her hands had gotten heavier in weight these last few minutes.

Somehow, she managed to nod and say, "I'll look into it."

"Good! Now get out of here I'm sure your friend is still outside waiting."


	5. heart of gold

**_This chapter took me a bit longer than usual to post (sorry for that, life's been hectic). Thanks to all the positive reviews; here's the next chapter so please enjoy!_**

* * *

Getting the best of his interest, Bakugo scanned the front school area to see what had been so interesting for Izuka to get distracted by. She was usually on top of her studies, always scribbling in that mockingly burned blue book. It was very unlike her and it always happened during their last period of classes.

There was nothing out of the ordinary and he stayed a while longer waiting for his little group of followers to appear before they headed out to the bus stop until a flash of purple hair caught his attention.

Shinso was sitting, reading one of Izuka's notebook dated volume two and Bakugo squinted his eyes at how intrigued the purple-haired boy looked as he read one of her silly books. He shouldn't be here, this wasn't his school and yet, here he was again perfectly sitting on a bench as if it was the most normal of things to do.

Ready to confront the idiot, Bakugo walked up to him with such stealth that it shocked the blonde wondering why he was so agitated. His anger was definitely fueled by Shinso's presence because it was impossible that he was getting furious upon the sight of him having one of her possessions.

Apparently, it seemed that Shisno had thought he was her as he said, "These books are impressive Izuka. The detail and tactics you managed to capture are very informative and useful during a battle against one of these heroes."

"Where did you get that?" Bakugo growled wondering why he felt so protective of her things; he had burned one himself for fuck's sake he shouldn't be feeling this way at all. Those books weren't even that great and he didn't want to hear the idiot's fake praise towards her; he was just kissing ass.

Shinso shut the book close and tucked it into the side of his arm. Out of sight meant out of harm's way and he was not going to let it get damaged on his watch. Izuka had entrusted her hard work to him and he was going to treasure it against what he had concluded was her school bully that had never matured.

"It doesn't concern you," Shinso cautiously replied noticing that there were already a few students swarming out of the building and watching their little confrontation. He couldn't help but frown at how Izuka's schoolmates were busybodies that couldn't mind their own business especially one specific blonde.

"It's not yours," Bakugo replied, his eyes slitting in a fierce glare and his fingers twitched begging to be turned into a fist, "You better give that shit back."

Shinso's mouth turned into a straight line fighting himself to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't going to repeat what he had said and if he had to respond to the idiot blonde he would say something that would invoke a fight. He just had to remain impassive until Izuka came into view, her company would help calm him.

Bakugo wasn't a patient man, but he had a serious question that had been turning in his head ever since the purple fucker bumped into him here and he needed an answer, "What are you doing here? You have no business here."

"I don't have to explain myself, but since you're so interested, I'm waiting on a friend," Shinso said his eyes looking for something behind Bakugo's head desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of Izuka. What was taking her so long?

It was obvious he was talking about Deku after witnessing that night he walked her home, but Bakugo had enough of these vague little answers and how Shisno kept avoiding his eyes. Shit was about to go down and without breaking a sweat, he lifted his hand to push the purple haired boy to the ground with a puff of his quirk.

Shisno's attention shifted to Bakugo's hostile movements and in the background, he noticed a frantic green haired gal running towards them desperate to reach them before things worsened. This was perfect timing and he briefly wondered whether he should bait the blonde encouraging him to attack and if he did…what would Izuka do?

Would she run to his side? Would she get violent with the blonde bully of hers and finally take him down or would she cry? There was also that little voice in his head that secretly revealed that he wanted to see Bakugo's stunned face when he realized that she had been behind him all this time.

Glancing once more at Izuka, he knew he couldn't put her through that, so he just smirked instead and placed a hand on Bakugo's shoulder to delay his actions, "Now, now let's not get hasty. I'd rather prevent a nasty fight for her sake _buddy._ After all, what would she think about you if you fired your quirk at me?"

"Take your fucking dirty hands off me, we aren't friends," Bakugo said regaining his composure and shoving the unwelcomed touch away as Shinso's words sunk in. Deku was here and the idiot had a point; she'd get worried running to Shinso's fallen body and he didn't want to witness such a revolting scene. His hand fell limp to his side, but his piercing eyes were still trained on the boy in front of him and if he had a laser quirk, he'd be dead a long time ago.

He didn't want her to see him in this state and get the wrong idea. She would jump to sodding conclusions that were probably untrue, but it seemed that he was not going to fight Shinso today. Next time though, the idiot wouldn't be so lucky to escape with only a one-sided verbal spar.

"Keep your distance from me. I don't care if you're here for her, just make sure I don't see you or you're dead meat, shithead," Bakugo spat at him and walked away before she caught up to where they were standing.

He didn't want to see her nor talk to her after the little stunt she pulled at the convenience store and especially not after that night she came home with Shinso glued to her side. It had snapped something within him, made him feel foolish, almost naïve and he should have known better to try to be nice. He wasn't bred to be friendly or grateful, it just wasn't in his genes and it made him uncomfortable to go out of his comfort zone to explore those unknown feelings.

Bakugo wondered why the hell he was livid in the first place. He shouldn't have been bothered that she had befriended the idiot considering it was a typical Deku move. She obviously wasn't worth his consideration and he knew she could take care of herself.

Despite thinking that, these feelings of protection didn't seem to be disappearing anytime soon and he grunted in frustration. He needed a release and as a jogger past him, he decided that a light run might help him with this little situation.

* * *

Izuka huffed, as she finally managed to reach her destination only to see the Bakugo was already walking away without inducing a fight. That had to be the first and giving in to curiosity, she asked, "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," Shinso said shrugging with indifference.

"Oh," she muttered, saddened that Shinso wasn't sharing details of his little clash. It was never 'nothing' when something involved Kacchan, he was too stubborn and prideful to leave in peace and her past incidents with Bakugo proved it.

She wearily examined Shinso, looking for burnt pieces of fabric or red spots on the visible parts of his skin. She had to confirm that he wasn't hurt and just hiding it because he didn't want to look weak in front of her. Thankfully, he looked unruffled and his uniform didn't even have a wrinkle in it.

Confused, she glanced at Bakugo's retreating backside briefly noticing that his hair seemed way more disheveled than usual and he was stomping harder than necessary. Grasping the idea that a month had passed since he had picked on her, she wondered if it had anything to do with that day the slime villain showed up.

She had half a mind to stop herself from running after him and demanding what was wrong with him. Surely, he always looked that jagged after a boring day of school. He hated wasting time if there was nothing productive in class to be done.

She was probably just imagining things anyhow. If she didn't get a distraction now then she'd never be able to get Bakugo off her mind, "Right...well, let's go then?"

"You're eager to start our last week of training before I leave temporarily," Shinso said, effectively pulling Izuka from her thoughts and into their distinctive banter. "Do you want to get rid of me already? Maybe it's because I've worn you out."

"No, no, no…" Izuka laughed and tilted her head at him. Mirth sparkled her eyes as she wittily replied, "Am I that obvious? It can't be helped that you're a bad teacher."

"You're just jealous that I'm a great teacher," Shinso rebutted and from afar, All Might couldn't help but agree that he was a great teacher.

"Sure," Izuka replied before realizing that he had frozen her in place for fun. He instantly released her, letting a small chuckle slip him knowing that he was definitely going to get to push the tires all on his own today.

The Number One Hero sat nearby on a bench, disguised in sunglasses while scribbling down his own notes as he observed the curious pair that had caught his attention above everyone else he had tested so far. More specifically, it amazed All Might that no matter how the world viewed or undermined them, they were still pursuing their passion and giving it their all during these training sessions. They didn't care about the discrimination they faced from the world.

He was glad he had kept an eye on them to learn about their whereabouts because they were interesting to watch and continuously showed hero-like attributes. Especially the young male whom he had learned was named Hitoshi Shinso. He already seemed ready for the teaching part that All Might himself wasn't certain of how to go about.

In addition, the boy was reserved, clever, and well-mannered that is until the girl brought out him out of his shell in a good sociable way. He couldn't help but notice how Shinso took a liking to her with the need to aspiring her to do her best despite their ability or lack of. There would be little to train on how to become a hero on All Might's part and that won the boy bonus points in gaining the title of the next One for All successor.

Midoriya Izuka was still a bit of a mystery, however. The girl was clearly determined and full of optimism seeing as she was taking her application process and training seriously. He had caught her staying late at night cleaning the beach alone and occasionally showing up before class time to do a little work or just write in her book. He often wondered what she was furiously scribbling down so early in the morning.

She was also quirkless and he couldn't help but resonate with her, but if he chose her it wasn't going to be easy. She would have to be prepared to take on a quick and he needed her to pass the hero exam which was only a few months away. There would be a lot of work to be done and he had to consider his options wisely. His new successor would be the next image of a hero and the pillar of justice.

* * *

Today was their last day before his departure and he couldn't help but be worried for her as he watched her sprawled on the sand, her hair loose around her head. She reminded him of an angel, vulnerable and innocent with that eerie glow of the moonlight peeking through the purple night sky. She was just as beautiful as that first night he had met.

"This was one heck of a day," Izuka finally managed to say after taking a long drink of her bottled water with labored breaths. "You'll be missing out, Shinso; I can hear my heart pumping in my head."

"Why do you put up with it? Unlike you, it bothers me," Shinso straightforwardly asked, his thoughts getting ahead of him as he thought about other students who were lucky enough to inherit hero-like quirks but took it for granted while people like Izuka and himself had to suffer.

"Huh?" To say she was confused was an understatement, "What are you referring to?"

"Those people out there who have the ability to be heroes because of the _virtuous_ quirks they've inherited take advantage of their powers while we have to work hard. They get it easy while we're called freaks and then they decide our fate for us, saying we're not meant to be heroes," Shinso angrily replied crushing his water bottle.

Izuka didn't reply. She wanted to hear what was on his mind, to know what had been plaguing him; ever since she was little, she had been inquisitive and blamed it on her endless curiosity to learn. In addition, she had been waiting patiently for him to make the first move in telling her since the beginning of the week when she had sensed he was holding something in and brushed her off.

Oblivious to the excitement radiating from the girl, Shinso continued on with his tirade, "They receive all the praise, so everyone turns a blind eye to their actions or hurtful words. Their actions are villainess by fault, but the only evil others see are those who possess unusual quirks or none at all."

A moment of epiphany washed over her. He wasn't just talking about the whole world, he was specifically singling out someone they both knew, and she felt the need to voice her conclusion, "You're referring to Katsuki aren't you?"

Izuka caught the sparkling malice in his eyes as she softly voiced Bakugo's name out loud and didn't need any verbal confirmation to know that she was right.

He didn't know whether to admire how fast she manage to catch on to his double implications or be wary that she was clever enough to figure him out. But he did know that it had been pestering Shinso's mind that he would leave her alone with that bully.

Despite how beautiful she looked when he met her, he didn't want to see that tear-stricken face ever again. She was delicate where her feelings were concerned, recalling how she cried in joy when she managed to move debris without his help. That smile was something precious, it needed to be protected, and he didn't want to leave her open for an attack.

It didn't help that he was still figuring out whether he considered her a friend or something more, but he knew he wanted her to be safe and happy. She managed to bring out the hero in him.

"Kacchan…he may be brutish and all, but he's powerful. Although it's quite funny that out of all the kids I met that day in the playground, Kacchan became my first friend because of that exact personality. We even managed to get the same limited edition All Might hero card at the convince store one day," Izuka said with a small laugh, adjusting her position to be able to tuck her feet under her chin while reminiscing her past.

Shinso just watched her, he wanted to shake her shoulder and peel that layer over her eyes, so she could see what exactly that boy really was made of, but he was too entranced with that faraway look that took over her features.

"I can't detest him for his quirk, he still acted the same even before he inherited it. Maybe it doesn't bother me because I know it's his ego talking when in reality he wants to be a dependable hero like All Might. Maybe it's because we're the same in that way and yet completely different."

Izuka sighed, a small frown covering her features, "His actions may seem shameless seeing that winning is important to him since it means that he's the best hero amongst everyone. But I'm going to beat him someday."

This was a promise she wanted to keep. She'd never forgive herself if she didn't.

Izuka pounded her fist into her palm to emphasize her point. Bakugo was so far ahead of her in terms of raw strength that she'd have to work harder than ever to even try to reach his level. At least she had one advantage that made up for the lack of power in her: she was _smarter_.

Shinso didn't know what she saw in him. Her perspectives were honest and good, unlike his own gloomy, realist ones. Despite having his own demons and bullies to face, he had learned since he was little what was in store for him if he wanted to pursue his goal of becoming a hero. He would have to make others see past their narrow-mindedness by opening them to the reality that not all their heroes are so virtuous. Some do it for the fame, not necessarily because they want to help vulnerable citizens.

Izuka, on the other hand, managed to see the good in everyone and exploited it so even the blind could see it too. This justified that she was either too good for this world or too innocent and those feelings of protectiveness washed over him once again.

However, he knew she wouldn't appreciate that and he couldn't blame her. He wouldn't want to be smothered by anyone after being alone for so long. He had no doubt that she could hold her own against whatever may come when he was gone, and he would have to be content to just hear her vent about it. After all, he didn't have a choice considering that by tomorrow, he was only limited to provide moral support.

"You better come through with that promise Izuka," Shinso said as he gave up thoughts of why it was bad to leave her to survive on her own for a few days; it's not like she was a lost puppy. "And when you do, I hope I'll be there to see it."

Izuka stood up, dusting her shorts with a light laugh, "Stop sulking and help me move that fridge over there. It is our last day together and I want to make sure we get a good amount of work done."

"You laugh a lot, you know that? Am I that funny or are you hiding a secret from me?"

"Maybe, when you come back, I'll tell you." She hummed playing along with him and focused on pulling the fridge door to drag it across the open space. "So, you better come back quick before I find a new best friend Shinso!"

Shinso reached for the back of the fridge and pushed, helping her move the gigantic appliance, "You wouldn't dare!"

All Might continued to watch the pair, silently listening to them.

He should've been resting comfortably at home after fighting a villain that managed to hit him directly on his wound inflicted by All for One. But, he didn't want to miss out on learning something new from these two.

He had learned a great deal about their personality and guilty glanced down at the crumpled list of students who had been accepted to participate in the entrance exam so far. He had gone into this with one candidate in mind and ended up settling for another.

He just wanted to make sure that he was choosing the right kid. He didn't want to make a mistake; the weight of the hero world would fall if he made a mistake and then what would become of this peaceful world they knew of?

Maybe that's why he felt guilty. He was deviating from the list of candidates that would guarantee a successful heir of One for All and was instead listening to that very teeny tiny voice coming from his gut. Not only that, but he was a bit on a schedule and if he pushed this matter aside any longer to deal with for another day, he would miss out on this opportunity to confront the teen whom his gut was pulling him to. The part of his mind that ignored logic would hate him for letting an opportunity like that slip and then he'd have to settle for second best. He didn't want second best.

Knowing what he had to do, he continued his stakeout in the bush. He would wait patiently to ambush the teen when their companion was finally gone. However, fate didn't seem to want to comply with his wishes as the two continued to clean the beach well into midnight.

Exhaustion had also caught up to the hero and All Might found himself fighting to keep his drooping eyelids open every few seconds. The next thing he knew, was that there was a blurry shadow hovering above him poking his shoulder with her own tired eyes, maybe he was more exhausted than he claimed to have thought.

"Sir? Sir, are you alright?" Izuka worriedly asked poking the frail man who continued to struggle with keeping his eyes open. In a moment of complete panic, she asked, "Are you drunk? Should I call a cab? Are you homeless?!"

She could barely make out the soft mumbles and groan but with a bit of dumb luck, she managed to understand what he was trying to say, "I need to talk to you Hitoshi, my boy."

"Shinso? He left already, are you related to him?" Izuka asked biting her bottom lip and pulled out her phone to check the time. It was a quarter past midnight and the only reason she was here was that she had returned to collect her forgotten book bag where her keys were. Staring at the sprawled man on the floor, who scared the life out of her from falling out of the bushes, she wished she hadn't coerced Shinso into leaving her behind alone guaranteeing him that she could take care of herself.

It wasn't like she could exactly carry the thin man no matter how frail he appeared to be. He was still three times her height and lifting him herself was going to be near impossible. She could've left him there and no one would be the wiser, but maybe it was because she was too nice, and the feeling of guilt was too strong on her soul. She knew she couldn't just walk away.

Kacchan once accused her of this fault saying this was why she had no real friends because it was easier to take advantage of her instead. Maybe he was right, but that was a fault she could live with.

Izuka pocketed her phone and adjusted her bag on her back before taking a deep breath, "Sir, I need you to try your best to get on your feet, so I can help you stand."

A few minutes passed and Izuka briefly freaked thinking that he wasn't going to comply with her request until the man grunted in pain and slowly shook his head in agreement. She released a breath at this, not even realizing she had been holding it in with anticipation.

The strange man pushed his weight onto his palms to lift his upper body off the pavement and Izuka was at his side in an instant to help him get up. It felt like forever, but eventually, she managed to assist him to stand by letting him use her as a cane to support himself.

"I'm not a drunk, boy, just tired," he croaked, but Izuka knew that he had put in too much effort than necessary in this explanation for it to be true. She just hummed in reply and walked him towards the closest bench she knew of and helped him sit down.

Once she was sure he wouldn't topple over and onto the floor again, Izuka stood on the sidewalk glinting down the dark, empty street. Busses for transportation were out of the question, they didn't operate this late at night.

"I can call you a cab if you're absolutely sure you don't need any medical attention at the moment," Izuka said reaching for her phone once more and frowned seeing that it was already almost one in the morning. Surprisingly, her mother hadn't called her and Izuka prayed that she was already fast asleep. She did, however, have a message from Shinso asking if she made it home safely.

"I'm not drunk," sang the man on the bench again and laughed a little at the end and Izuka turned to give him her attention forgetting to reply to her friend, "but I do feel like I am. Haven't slept in five days, but I need to do this today before you leave. I'm running out of time."

"Do what?" Izuka curiously asked, now completely on guard. This was getting weirder by the minute for her and she just wanted to get some sleep herself, but his words just made her aware, "Are you dying? I'm calling an ambulance to take you to the ER."

"Wait, no one can know, my boy," All Might plead, and Izuka noticed that his eyes closed. He could truly be slept off and restless considering that he was confusing her for a boy.

Walking back to him, Izuka stood in front of his seated position and asked, "What's your name sir?"

"Yagi Toshinori, but you may know me as All Might," he responded so casually as if he was talking about the weather and Izuka would've concluded that he wasn't drunk, but plain old crazy. That is if she hadn't witnessed a small puff of smoke that rolled off him as he transformed into her hero for a few brief seconds.

She felt time freeze, and she wanted to faint, but somehow, she was still standing in one piece. Out of all the times, she imagined her first time meeting the popular hero would go, she had never imagined that a frail old man would be sitting on a bench revealing this to her during twilight hours. The most logical reason she could manifest was that she was possibly dreaming. She was probably snuggled in her bed sheets and fast sleep.

"All Might?!" Izuka shouted in a sleeping town where all ears were closed off, but Toshinori wasn't that awake to notice.

"Don't remember you being this loud boy, can't have everyone finding out. I'm telling you this because I want you to inherit my powers and be the next wielder of All For One." Toshinori replied shushing Izuka's loud screech, "Do you accept?"

Izuka knew she was snuggled in her bed sheets and fast asleep for this to even be happening at all as she said, "Yes."

"Good," was all that he replied with and Izuka walked closer to dream All Might before noticing that he had fallen asleep on her. She felt as if cold water doused her whole and quickly pinched herself, knowing this couldn't be happening, but the pain that seared through her proved otherwise.

This was real, and she had no clue what to do next.


	6. The Way I AM

_So, we're finally entering phase two of my story. This is where the real story and action comes in; thanks to all those who waited patiently for my updates. I'm sure to have more time to write now that I'm officially out of school (you're reading a grad's fanfic here lol)._

 _Anyways, here's my_ _ **disclaimer**_ _: I don't own MHA…and please excuse my typos I have no beta, it's just me and I'm sure most of you know what I'm trying to say through my writing in those errors. Maybe I'll come back and edit someday._

 _Please leave your lovely reviews behind so I can see what my readers think!_

* * *

Izuka was wide awake. It was a bit immature of her, but she couldn't sleep. How could she when All Might was sleeping on her couch as if he did it every night.

She covered her mouth, a nervous little giggle escaping her as she took in all the details of this new version of her hero before her. She never thought she would ever get this close to him, let alone meet him in person. If she didn't know better, she would've thought she was dreaming.

And then he had to go and say he wanted her to be the next wielder of One for All. Her. Midoriya Izuka.

This had to be one of Izuka's best days in her life and the misty twilight outside reminded her that the night her day hadn't even started yet. She was not going to let a moment like this slip away; resting time be damned, she could always sleep later anyway.

What Izuka didn't expect was that she had gotten caught up in all her excitement that she ended up falling asleep on a chair right across from the hero. She also didn't expect to fall out of the seat early in the morning to her mom's screams.

"Izuka! There's a man on the couch," Inko frantically whispered to her daughter looking around their humble home for a weapon of sorts just in case the frail man decided to attack them. Living in a world of heroes always meant that there was a villain or two nearby every now and then. "How did he break in and why were you sleeping on the couch?!"

Izuka placed a comforting hand on her panicked mother's shoulder, "I know mom, he's All Might!"

Inko froze in her spot looking over the blonde, thin man still snoring rather loudly on the couch. He looked nothing like the All Might her daughter adored on the television set who had muscles and a friendly smile. This person was too skinny and feeble to even come close to being confused with the hero.

Inko glanced back at her daughter with a raised eyebrow wondering if she finally lost it or she was just blind and needed a comprehensive eye exam.

"I'm not crazy, mom, don't give me that look," Izuka replied with a shake of her head, "He's really All Might. Trust me, he's just exhausted and not in his transformed form-"

"I'm calling the police! This isn't a game Izuka, how could you let a complete stranger into our home?" Inko said ignoring what her daughter was telling her. She was too overwhelmed to comprehend what was coming out of Izuka's mouth, there was no time to waste if she wanted this unknown man out of her home before he woke.

"Mom! Put the phone down please," Izuka cried out, one hand trying to reach out and grab the device away from her mother who was frantically pushing the buttons and shooing her daughter's flailing limb away.

"While you're at it, please request Naomasa Tsukauchi to pick me up. You two are rather loud around an ill person trying to recover from a very draining fight. By the way, I do have a name and it's Toshinori Yagi."

Inko felt like she was having a second heart attack that morning as the blonde mumbled a reply and all the color drained from her face.

"All Might! I'm so sorry to disturb you! W-would you like something to drink? Maybe herbal tea?" Izuka asked quickly rushing to his side in an apologetic manner.

"Izuka, don't," Inko said holding back her daughter from getting too close to the man who closed his eyes back up and pretended to continue sleeping, "He already said he wasn't All Might."

Toshinori shook his head while a compliant sigh escaped him. It seemed that he wasn't going to get any more rest, that which he couldn't recall giving into in the first place. Everything about last night was a blur if he was being honest, a sign that his condition was worsening.

He briefly wondered if he had even conversed with Shinso last night, and if not, then who had he spilled his deepest secrets to? If he hadn't reached the boy, then that meant he would have to wait until he sees the boy again or find another suitable candidate in time for the Yuuei entrance exam. With only a few days to go, that left only a handful of days for him to begin searching again which was most definitely out of the question.

It also didn't help his train of thought that something in the pit of his stomach knew who he had revealed himself to last night as he watched the green haired gal struggle with her emotions from the other side of the room.

"Mr. Toshinori, I will call Detective Naomasa's office while you gather your bearings." Inko hesitantly spoke, her grip on her daughter persistent as ever to keep her in place, "I do hope I don't come off as rude, it's just that I barely know you, Sir."

"No need, I will dial him myself outside. And it's alright to be cautious," Toshinori said as he tipped his non-existent hat in a respective gesture towards Inko. "I'm forever grateful for your daughter's kindness for giving me a safe place to rest last night."

Izuka watched in horror as he began to leave and she couldn't stay quiet anymore as she yanked herself from her mother's grip and ran towards her hero, "Wait! But what about the part where you asked me to become your successor? You're my hero you know, it'd be a dream come true to train under you."

Toshinori watched the girl's face change with the crestfallen realization that what happened last night was not going to become a reality. Her long face revealed to the hero that she has been disappointed for quite a while now, but not shocked about the news, "It's not that easy, Izuka. Being powerless…you can't be a hero if you don't have a quirk."

Inko watched her daughter's spirit break in front of her very eyes and she could help but call out for her as Izuka ran past Toshinori and out of their house in a hurry.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Toshinori began apologizing to Inko who shot him a death glare and he gave up in defeat, a part of him feeling guilty for doing that to the young girl. He deserved her hatred for doing such a thing when he knew perfectly well that the girl was determined despite not having a quirk, he only hoped he hadn't destroyed her flame completely.

"All Might or not, all she needed were words of comfort and guidance," Inko said escorting the thin man out of her home and shutting the door in his face.

* * *

Izuka ran, tears falling from her face and blurring her vision, but she knew exactly where she wanted to be: on the beach, alone, and sulking. She didn't want to look back and see her favorite hero after hearing those words come from him.

There wasn't a time she could recall that she didn't idolize him, and right now, she didn't want to explore those feelings bubbling insider her towards the blonde superhero. She wanted to be anywhere, but home and her memories of the beach provided enough cover to shelter her for a little while.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A voice shouted at her as she dashed past a hooded figure and Izuka mumbled a half-apology but continued her running nonetheless. She needed to vent out her frustration and she wasn't going to aim it towards someone she had bumped into; no need to ruin someone else's day when hers was already on the verge of tipping upside down.

Bakugo however, was thrown off by her unusual behavior. It wasn't like Deku to run into him and not apologize profusely. She also wasn't one to go out for a run this early in the day. He should know considering he always took this route secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of her in her home from afar.

He followed the green haired girl, hot on her heels confused why she hadn't noticed that he was behind her for the past twelve minutes into their run. It angered him that she was so oblivious, anyone could've been following her without her ever knowing and she would be so open to attack if he was a villain.

But he had to admit that Deku had great stamina. She was relentless, and he noted that she hadn't slowed her speed anytime throughout their run. It occurred to him that she was fucking fast for being able to go such a distance without a break, and her toned muscles were agile as they stretched in all the right places on her legs – not that he was checking her out or anything.

It didn't dawn on Bakugo that she was stressed until he watched her run to the beach and fall to her knees panting, tears adorning her freckled cheeks. He hated when she cried; she looked so damn weak. And then she shocked him for the second time that day when she quickly got back on her feet and began pushing piles of heavy pipe and metals away with shouts of anger.

Bakugo hid among the bushes watching her and cursing how she was always full of surprises; he could always count on her never being bland. But damn, was she beautiful as he licked his lips and enjoyed the show that featured one hell of an angry Deku who in his eyes resembled a fiery goddess.

He didn't question why she was embracing such a mood which was a rarity all on its own considering she was always so happy that it sickened him some days. He rather liked this side of her as she bashed around crap and took her anger out on these objects. Bakugo wished he was that crap just to catch a closer look of her scrunched up face and run a finger along her dried-up, tear-stained cheeks.

But that was out of the question because she would never let him get that close to her after all the years he had spent tormenting her. She would never see him in that light and Bakugo decided that for now, that was fine by him as long as she never showed this side to anyone else. This angry Izuka would forever be sketched to his memory and no one else's. He would make sure of that.

Izuka placed all her weight as she leaned against a beige washing machine and began to push her body backward, making the equipment slide slowly but it was moving so that was something. She was clearing more of the beach as her anger continued to bubble. But she wasn't naturally an angry person and she felt that her emotions were beginning to die down.

Once the washer was finally near the junkyard, she sided and let herself slide down until she felt the ground underneath her. She had exerted a lot of energy and it was settling in her bones as she felt the strain and soreness she had caused by pushing her body into overdrive without warming up.

She felt broken, inside and out, and she let an empty chuckle escape her as she watched the sun rise shine beautifully against the clear water before her. It wasn't fair and it's not like she was clueless.

She knew her path would be hard; that there would be challenges and she expected to be pushed down, but she always thought that All Might would understand her. That he would see what she was capable of and give her a chance…so far no one seemed to believe in her except for Shinso and her mother.

There was no doubt that they were great supporters of her dreams, but Izuka knew deep down that even they thought she would never make it as far as becoming a hero.

There was a loud crash, glass shattering on the wall near Izuka. Her hand was shaking, wide-eyes taking in the fact that she had unconsciously throttled an empty bottle while her emotions took over her. To make matters worse, a rustle among the bushes caught her attention and Izuka panicked knowing someone had been watching her during her little outburst.

She freaked, standing on her trembling feet and went to investigate the bush hoping that it had all been in her imagination. She didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea; she wasn't a violent or hateful person. Izuka held her breath as she pushed branches away, but there was no one there.

Her mind must've just been playing tricks on her, but she thought she had caught a glimpse of a boy she must've frightened. However, Izuka didn't know that she had indeed frightened Bakugo Katsuki.

He had witnessed her in all her glory; an image he wished he had dreamed because as he took in every red-cheeked and stormy-eyed detail painted on her face, something clicked into place inside him. Bakugo knew he was screwed.

He had realized that he had fallen knee deep for Deku and he was fucken terrified. He just couldn't fall for her because he knew they would never work together after everything he had put her through.

* * *

Izuka dragged herself home, no pep in her step. She felt like a mess and she took note of the grime and dirt under her fingernails. It didn't help that she was also carrying a thumping headache since she had left the beach.

The traffic light changed, and she found herself waiting while the world around her continued to buzz. She sighed looking up to the overcast sky wondering if the Earth felt like she currently did as she fought between her emotions only to lock them away and choose to feel nothing.

"I know you're mad at me, but I don't have a lot of time left, Midoriya," A voice startled her, and she jumped recognizing the blonde man beside her, her emotions beginning to bubble up again, but she bit her lip in an attempt to keep them controlled within her.

The light change to red and Izuka muttered back, "Nor do I, I need to head home or I'll be late to school."

Guilt ate her up as she felt that she had been rather rude towards her idol who seemed rather desperate, but she could take back the words.

"I'm sorry Midoriya," Toshinori sincerely said hoping that hearing these words would calm her and make her cooperate. "I shouldn't have been so harsh towards one of my fans."

"No, you shouldn't have," Izuka said stopping in the middle of the road and her fists clenched knowing she had enough, "True heroes don't back out of promises they made. Insensible or not."

Then she crossed the road with All Might hot on her heels.

"Wait!" Toshinori called out for her once they were both safely on the other side of the road.

Izuka let out an exasperated sigh gave in knowing she couldn't ignore her favorite hero any longer. She turned on her heel facing the thin man who looked very sincere about hurting her feelings and Izuka felt her resolve finally break and her anger melt. There was no way she could stay mad at such an amazing person.

"Fine! I give up!" Izuka said, her voice bursting as she watched the man approach her with a grateful smile. "How can I help?"

"I shouldn't have cornered you like this. I really am sorry," Toshinori repeated. "I need to speak to Shinso, my girl. Do you know where he is?"

"He's gone off somewhere for a whole month," Izuka said, recognition dawning upon her, "It was him wasn't it? You confused me with Shinso last night. You want him to succeed you."

"Yes, I was utterly exhausted and pushed myself to my limit thinking I could hold consciousness all night long to talk to the boy. I never meant to hurt you purposely," Toshinori confessed scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment and then he turned to mutter to himself, "But this won't do. By the time he comes back, it'll be too late."

Izuka shook her head in understanding, knowing she could fully forgive her hero. He really did look desperate.

"Thank you Midoriya, my girl, I should probably go," Toshinori said starting to walk off once more but Izuka needed to clarify something. She didn't know why him answering her burning question meant so much to her.

"All Might! I'm not just a fan you know," Izuka proclaimed feeling her heart spill before her as she watched him stop in his tracks to listen to her – thank god there was no one nearby as she did so. "I-I just need to know the truth…"

"I'm not asking for a miracle – I know those don't exist – do you think anyone in the world who's born, as a quirkless nobody, like me ever has a shot at becoming a hero?" Izuka asked her eye's pleading the man to save her somber spirit even just a little.

"You already know the answer and hearing the bare truth won't change anything. However, I do know that you're a great strategist and under the Hero Support class you'd blossom beautifully Midoriya." Toshinori said patting her head in comfort as he recalled Inko's previous words from the morning.

"R-right," Izuka muttered, her eyebrows cringing as she finally let go of the short thread of hope she had been gripping onto. As she pulled away from All Might's touch as if it burned her, a loud screech from a nearby car caught their attention.

Izuka's feelings were instantly put on hold as another car crashed and what sounded like a helicopter burst her eardrum as the loud noise left her deaf. Izuka turned to notice that All Might nor his civilian counterpart were nowhere to be seen and she briefly wondered where he had run off to.

The ground began to shake and Izuka's heartbeat buzzed out the screams, helicopter noise, and rumbling around her as a giant villain emerged near a bridge a few blocks away. It seemed that traffic had been blocked off as others had evacuated their cars to run to safety.

Everything was happening so fast and she could only hope All Might would emerge soon and save the day and minutes continued to tick by but there was no one coming, and the villain came charging towards the area where Izuka found her feet glued to the ground.

She couldn't find the energy to run like the others had that is until a piercing cry of a baby snapped her out of her trance. Her feet ran towards the noise on their own with such power and force she just discovered she was capable of.

She passed cars, colors blurring around her until she approached a silver one where the child's cries sounded the loudest. Inside, there was a toddler no older than two years old tucked into his booster seat as tears streamed down his face. He was frightened, no doubt by the loud noises, and vulnerable to the villain who was getting closer to them with every stomp.

She tried opening the car door praying it was unlocked which didn't budge and then she tried the driver's seat which seemed to be stuck in place. There was no time to think and call it motherly instinct or whatever, she pushed all her strength into pulling the car door open ignoring the squeaks of metal scrapping metal and letting the baby's screams fuel her pursuit instead.

She was on an adrenaline high and continued prying the door open until she could slip her thin arm inside and press the unlock button. It seemed like a quick second as her surroundings darkened and she watched a raised foot hover above her knowing she couldn't abandon the child.

His life was as important as her own and without hesitating, she unbuckled the child and cradled him against her chest and she ran, briefly escaping the lowering flesh that squashed the car like a twig.

She had managed to get away and continued running behind a building feeling super drained. The baby cooed against her and Izuka slumped against the wall into a sitting position with the child still safe in her arms.

She could have died, but the baby that was struggling against falling asleep solidified her certainty that her actions had been worth it and far from being foolish. For a brief second, she thought she heard cheering in the background as she followed the baby and succumbed to the darkness too.


	7. everything's all r(m)ight

_Honestly living for your reviews! Really appreciate all my readers and did I mention how grateful I am for having you guys? Anyways, let's get on with what you're really here for!_

* * *

All Might grinded his teeth as he watched the chaos erupt around him. He quickly ran towards the villain, transforming mid-way and ready to hold back the large dread-haired male terrorizing what was a peaceful morning. That was until his transformation couldn't keep up for, two minutes in, he had puffed back into Yagi Toshinori.

He pulled his shirt back to inspect his wound which was still blaringly purple. It seemed that if he kept his composure and didn't let the villain land any direct hit, he would be able to keep his All Might form for approximately three minutes. Did he mention that it included a lot of concentration?

His head ran once more through scenarios of what he could do. He could either risk it all and face more fatigue later today and possibly blow his cover if he were to transform back in the middle of a punch, or just sit idly by and wait for other heroes to come.

Waiting would be his best option knowing he couldn't risk transforming in front of so many people. Toshinori looked around at the cars piled atop one another knowing someone needed to evacuate the hazardous area, and if he jumped into fighting right now he would only get in the way if he couldn't take down the villain within his three minutes without adding to the mess.

Sending out an alert to the police station and nearby heroes through his phone, All Might only prayed someone would get here soon. With a frustrated sigh, Toshinori blended back into the crowd of civilians.

And then he heard the gasps and shouts as people pushed him around to get a better look at the commotion.

"What is she doing? Is she crazy?" A girl shouted as she grabbed her friend tightly and hugged her, "Move! He's coming your way! Move girl!"

Then her friend started shouting too, "You're running the wrong way! Why is she running that way?"

"Look at the green haired girl! What is she doing? Does she want to die?!"

That caught Toshinori's attention and he quickly turned around to see who they were talking about, his gut feeling knowing he knew exactly who that girl was. Midoriya Izuka.

He watched her bravely dash towards a car, giving it her all as she tried to pry open the driver's door. He despised how every capable body just watched in horror rather than help her get whatever was probably stuck inside the car.

Honestly, he felt like a hypocrite in more ways than one. Here she was, without a quirk trying to save a life and he wasn't willing to risk his own reputation. The villain was literally a few feet, closing in on her and he was just standing here. Between the two of them, she was the true selfless hero.

All Might couldn't watch her any longer as his own feet also sprang into action. A puff surrounded him and he sprinted to the spot where Izuka pulled out a baby boy and ran for her life, briefly missing the hovering foot above her.

He had to give her props for being quick and brave, but she seemed to be in her own little world as she continued in a relentless run to safety. That inspiring attitude of hers opened All Might's eyes as he realized she was the perfect successor to inherit One for All.

Now, it was up to him to make sure no one else got injured on his watch and as he threw a punch at the villain's gut he wondered how the hell he was going to apologize to the girl for not realizing her potential sooner.

He had originally thought she was just one of those fangirls and hadn't given a thought past that perception of her. He hadn't seen her for who she truly was. All Might shook his head, throwing another punch while the crowd cheered him on; it seemed even a great hero like him could be inconsiderate at times.

He sure hoped to change that.

* * *

She was surrounded by a blue fire currently standing taller than herself. It was closing in on her, leaving her panting in a sweaty heap and Izuka watched as it continued growing in height and backing her up into a corner. Then, like a change in the wind, it was suddenly replaced by a vortex of winding air caging her on the spot.

Izuka looked around her, turning and turning in a never-ending circle. She tripped over her feet, her head began spinning and her heart exhilarated, eager to find a gap where she could slip through. However, wherever she was, it seemed as if she was stuck here because there was no escape in sight.

Suddenly, she fell to her knees feeling as if she couldn't breathe anymore. She could feel the jagged terrain and the rocks underneath her cutting into her kneecaps. Her hands found themselves grasping her throat in a vain hope that it would help her capture what little oxygen she could into her lungs.

She didn't belong here. She needed to get out. She needed to live.

When Izuka felt like she was going to pass out in this dark abyss somewhere in her dreams, everything around her stopped and the surroundings began to disappear back into the darkness. Her body was gasping for air, recovering from the attack and she realized that she was now laying on the ground, her arms and legs spread out around her.

She looked up, hoping to see a bright sky but was instead met with those piercing blue eyes. And as the blue flames went out, the glowing eyes began to fade only to reveal a dark hooded figure with very dull brown eyes.

"Who are you?" Izuka asked attempting to get up in her dream state but before she could move, she could faintly make out her name being shouted from somewhere far away.

Distracted, Izuka's head snapped to where the voice was calling her name and when she looked back to meet those haunting eyes, they were gone. She was alone once again, but it's faint voice finally spoke to her while a light began to creep in from the corners of her dreams.

"You scared me," Its voice echoed bringing Izuka chills as she recognized that voice as her own. "But you can't die yet, you need to get stronger. You have too much to live for, so fight through the exhaustion and never give up."

Izuka woke with a killer headache and she groaned as pain seared through her lower legs; the sensation hitting her all at once.

She cracked open her eyes only to meet blinding lights above her until she blinked the blaring scene away while her pupils adjusted themselves. It seemed that she was in on a hospital bed and if the strong iodoform smell didn't confirm it, her hospital gown sure did.

"You're finally awake," All Might announced with a breathy sigh and she was suddenly engulfed in a hug from who appeared to be her mother right next to her.

"Do you know how irresponsible that was for you Izuka?" Inko worriedly scolded her child, her hands firmly grasping Izuka's face in fear that is she let go, her daughter would suddenly disappear. "You could've gotten injured or worse! T-that…that…"

"I know, mom," Izuka said in defeat knowing her mom was worried that she could have died by putting herself in danger like that and she hadn't thought of what her mother would feel if she ever lost her too. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"No! You weren't," Inko huffed in annoyance and Izuka winced knowing she was in major trouble, but then her mother's voice quieted as Inko said, "That was utterly brave of you. You were amazing, and I'm very proud to call you my daughter Izuka, but please make sure you're more prepared next time you do something completely dangerous."

"M-Mom?" Izuka's voice cracked as Inko broke down into tears. "What do you mean next time?"

"What she means is that next time, you'll be better trained to handle a situation such as a villain attack with the proper teachings." All Might answered, reminding the two that he was still in the private hospital room with them.

Inko released Izuka, her hug lingering a bit on the girl's shoulders as she continued to wipe away her happy tears with the sleeve of her sweater, "He's right. You need to learn everything there is to be a _safe_ hero."

"What are you two saying?" Izuka asked, containing her brain from jumping to conclusions. She didn't want to raise her hoped only to have then crushed once again. "I can't be a hero without a quirk. You know that mom…All Might."

"No, you see, that's where I stand corrected," All Might explained, his form puffed back into Yagi Toshinori and Izuka watched that her mom wasn't even surprised. "It seems that you've proved me very wrong. You're more than capable of becoming a grand hero, so I'm going to take you on as my trainee."

"I don't even have a quirk…" Izuka said dumbfounded, she didn't want to give into what she was hearing. She didn't want to get hurt again, especially not from a hero she had admired since could remember. "You said so yourself, so, how exactly do you want me to follow in your steps?"

"Through One for All, my girl, it's more than a heredity quirk. It can only be passed from person to person. I've been scouting around trying to find the perfect person to shoulder this great responsibility and I've finally found her." All Might proudly exclaimed before his smile wore off a little and his hand extended towards her, "That is if you'll accept and forgive me for being a hypocritic old man."

Izuka felt the waterworks within her begin. Her red tinged-cheeks covered in tears as a smile spread across her face and she happily pulled on All Might's extended hand, bringing him in for a hug instead.

"Of course I forgive you, All Might," Izuka wailed through her tears, her words barely sounding audible, "thank you for believing in me."

All Might chuckled, a deep rumbling that vibrated through Izuka, "Is that a yes?"

Izuka pulled back from the hug, a tight smile framing her face as she patted her cheeks to dry them so she could feel somewhat decent. She didn't want to be known as a crybaby, this was an important matter after all. It didn't help that she badly wanted to accept, but as she said, this was a very big change.

Looking over All Might's shoulder, her eyes made contact with her mother. Inko was nodding in her direction, encouraging her to give in to what she's longed for since she learned about heroes and villains. But Izuka could see right through her and read the worry gathering around her eyes and forehead disguised as wrinkles.

Her smile fell right there. Izuka couldn't help feeling like she was making a big mistake despite it feels so very right to her. This was just happening so fast, her emotions had gone on a roller coaster and, with her luck, she didn't know if she could handle another run.

She bit her lip, breathing in heavily through the small gap she created before sighing, "I would love to accept your offer All Might, but if you'll allow it, give me some time to think about it. I know you already had the honor to talk to my mom, but I'd like to get her full blessing privately."

And just like Inko, Izuka was beyond surprised that she didn't stutter through a single word.

Everything thereafter was a blur as All Might nodded in approval, saying he'd come back in a few days to see if she was up for the challenge and admitted to them that he couldn't wait forever for her. Izuka didn't regret making him wait because he promised he come back before walking away.

Heroes don't break promises, not like another man she knew who had promised her the same thing when she was younger.

"Izuka?" Inko bit her lip in worry, unknowingly pulling the girl out of her trance. "Why did you do that?"

Izuka still seemed to be out of it not quite understanding her mother's question as she said, "Huh?"

"You always wanted a quirk so you could be a hero. Why didn't you say yes?" Inko hesitated in worry, a gesture Izuka quickly caught knowing her mother was about to say something she didn't completely agree with but would go through for her sake.

"I can call him back, this is your opportunity to make your dreams come to Izuka," Inko was already halfway to the door ready to bolt after All Might any second and bring him back into the hospital room. The woman was prepared to do anything to bring a little positivity to her daughter's unlucky life.

"What? No," Izuka cut her off, freezing her mom from jolting the door open with a confused look directed at her, "I meant what I said, mom."

Izuka looked off to her side, she couldn't look at her sweet and overly selfless mother while admitting the truth of her feelings, "I can't bear to be a hero if it'll only bring worry to the person I love. If I had accepted, you would've looked at me as if I just volunteered to a death sentence. I can't do that to you."

"Oh, Izuka…" Inko rushed to her said grasping Izuka's hand, her eyes wet but still rather speechless as she tried to gather her own thoughts.

Izuka closed her eyes upon feeling her mother's loving touch before opening them back up with determination, "That doesn't mean I'm going to give up my goal of getting into Yuuei. I am going to get in and it's going to be through my own skill and intelligence."

"You're not even going to consider All Might's opportunity of a lifetime?" Inko asked, her brows had scrunched up in confusion again. This wasn't what she wanted for her daughter, she wanted Izuka to be happy and content with her life.

Izuka's head tilted to the side. She hadn't thought about completely rejecting his offer, but if her mother couldn't stand the idea of her being in constant danger then-

"I can't let you give up your life just because an old woman like myself is going to be worried about your choice of occupation. I'm your mother Izuka, I'm always going to fret over every little bruise you get because I've always been the one to kiss your boo-boos away since you were born."

Inko said squeezing her daughter back into reality, "It's my role to be worried. You can't let something like that stop you from fulfilling who you're meant to be. My careful nature always stopped me from doing something great, but this is your life, not mine. I told you I will always support you, no matter what."

"Thanks, mom," Izuka replied with a tentative smile while Inko kissed her forehead. "I really needed to hear this…I'll think about his offer, but I can't make any promises. Not yet."

* * *

Katsuki watched in anger as he replayed the video, along with a caption that read _'Mystery civilian proves girls can be heroes too!',_ a few of his classmates had sent to a group chat he regretted joining. Despite seeing it for the fifth time, he pressed play again, still not believing his eyes.

It was blurry, and there was a lot of noise, but he could make out the tiny green figure as Deku. He knew her bushy, petite frame anywhere and this utterly foolish girl who was running into the fray of car mazes had to be her; she was the only one stupid enough to play martyr in order to save a child. One that shouldn't need saving if the mother hadn't been so negligent and forgetful of her own child.

If the mother of the child wasn't so damn stupid, then Deku wouldn't need to have risked her life playing hero again.

It irked him that she could be so careless and put herself in such dangerous situations over and over. What if she got injured? What would she do then? What would he do? His emotions, if she got hurt, would be too much for him to handle. He still didn't even fully comprehend why he felt as he did for her.

Besides, she didn't have clearance nor experience to save anyone in mortal danger. She might have been lucky so far, but her luck was bound to run out. Katsuki promised to himself that he would put a lid on that bravery of hers before he let that happen; he couldn't stand the thought of her getting hurt.

"Your phone will blow up if you keep glaring at it, Katsuki, and I'm not buying you another one," Bakugo's mother, Mitsuki, scolded before placing a bowl in front of him. "Put it away and eat your cereal before you miss the bus. You've got to learn how to be responsible since you're graduating soon, brat, and I want to see perfect scores on your final report card before you head off to Yuuei."

"Whatever," he replied with a roll of his eyes and tucked his phone into his pocket before digging into his breakfast.

"So, whatever happened to that little gift you got Izuka?" Mitsuki asked, a knowing grin covering her features as she watched Katsuki spit his milk out and his eyes squint towards her in suspicion. "She's grown to be quite the beauty. I saw her the other day in passing. She was walking with a purple-haired boy as they ran laps heading down to that dumpster our town calls a beach. Honestly, if they don't do something about that junkyard, I'm going to talk to them myself and make them clean it personally. There's so much potential, it could be so beautiful-"

"We haven't talked in a while old hag, and that notebook was extra credit for class so don't jump to any silly conclusions." Katsuki rudely cut her off with a sneer, not wanting to be reminded of what he saw on the beach earlier today.

"Makes sense when you got that attitude going on about you," Mitsuki said while smacking the side of his head a bit harder than usual, "Now you're going to be single forever. Great, freaking wonderful, there goes my plan of having grandchildren."

"I wasn't going to have them anytime soon, and especially not with _her_!" Katsuki angrily replied, irritated by his mother's behavior.

"Obviously not, can't say the same for that purple-haired boy who was entertaining her. His mom must be ecstatic that he chose such a good girl," Mitsuki mumbled walking out of the room and leaving behind a fuming blonde who almost bent his spoon with his bare hands.

"Shitty Deku," Katsuki grumbled, his nostrils flaring as he stared deathly at his bowl, "you sure know how to fuck with my mind even when you're not here."

"What was that?" Mitsuki called out in plain innocence having heard exactly what he said along with the hint of jealousy in his tone.

Shaking her head with a frown, Mitsuki honestly didn't understand why Katsuki had a fall out with the girl. It probably had to do with his stubbornness of not wanting to face his feelings towards Izuka when they were children, and his behavior had seriously cost her own friendship with Inko.

As much as she liked to pretend, she wasn't all that clueless that Izkua and Katsuki didn't talk anymore. She just hoped that is she played an airhead, then at least their children would be obligated to be civil with one another whenever they passed each other's paths. However, it seemed that her little act wasn't even working.

Mitsuki fumed and released a heavy sigh. Ever since she laid eyes on the green haired girl who had managed to befriend her idiot of a son, she was sure they were going to be attached to the hips for the rest of their lives. It had honestly been a shock that her son had managed to snatch such an amazing girl to be his friend in their early days. Izuka was everything her son wasn't; she was sweet, considerate, and kind.

Izuka would have been good for her son, she would have changed him for the better and probably taught him manners. Kami knows how many times Mitsuki tried teaching the boy to be respectful, but her lessons never stuck. She had prayed that he would someday find a girl he was willing to change for.

It felt pointless to still be hoping that they would get together seeing as how Izuka was now hanging around a very handsome young man who was probably better than her own childish son. She silently prayed that it wasn't all Katsuki's fault. That boy can cause some serious trouble when they were younger knowing full well that he had rejected Izuka's lending hand when he had fallen one time under her watch.

Mitsuki had placed her son in time out, denied his request to watch the latest All Might movie, and sent him straight to sleep without desert that night. If she came to find out that it was he had something to do with why they don't speak anymore, or if he stepped out of bounds in any way and treated Izuka with anything less than respect then she would be more than glad to put her ill-tempered spawn in his place _again_.

* * *

"You should get some rest Izuka," Inko tended to her, pulling the thin fabric sheet over the girl. "You can miss a day of class. I'll have someone send your homework if you'd like, but you're not in the best condition to be up and about."

Izuka shook her head, biting her lip as the image of Kacchan bringing her work only as an excuse to scold her appeared beside her stationary. He was the last person she wanted to see.

"It's alright, I can pick it up tomorrow." Izuka said eyeing her mother who appeared much more tired than Izuka felt, "You should get some rest too."

"I actually need to do some grocery shopping," Inko said, stifling a yawn and getting to her feet. She grabbed her purse before kissing Izuka on the forehead once more and heading out of the hospital.

Izuka may have overworked her muscles, but the dark bags under her mother's eyes and the way she shuffled tiredly across the room to the door spoke volumes of Inko's health. It seemed that her mother should be the one prescribed to bed rest according to the doctor's orders.

"Midoriya, Izuka?" a little old lady called out, entering from sliding door the Izuka hadn't noticed was located on the other side of the room. It also surprised Izuka that she knew exactly who the nurse was.

"R-Recovery Girl? Is that really you?!" Izuka excitedly shouted, wanting to jump out of the bed to greet the infamous hero with greatly rumored healing abilities but for being ancient, the lady was fast. She was beside Izuka in the blink of an eye, a hand placed on her forehead holding Izuka in place knowing exactly what she had been about to do.

"You're supposed to be resting. Jumping wouldn't be wise Izuka," Recovery Girl tsked and released a futile sigh. "You're quite clumsy, brave but very senseless, aren't you girl? I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing you for a while."

Izuka didn't know what to say besides releasing an awkward laugh in response.

"And it very silly, it seems," Recover Girl chuckled, her hand moving to pat Izuka's head who just smiled at the little old lady.

Recover Girl moved on to evaluate Izuka's vitals and her recent x-ray charts which took a few suspenseful and unnervingly quiet minutes.

Trying to break the silence and fill the room with conversation, Izuka nervously asked, "Am I in really bad shape? I don't feel sore…I mean, I did when I woke up but now that I think about it, it's gone."

"That would be because this incident wasn't anything particularly serious. You just sprained your arm and got a nasty cut from forcingly pulling that metal door open on the vehicle, but it's all healed now with a kiss from yours truly while you were out," Recovery Girl said with a chuckle, but there was a tone that Izuka came to realize that the lady was beyond serious as she explained everything to her.

"You're free to leave, but you should take it easy. That doesn't mean to act recklessly, another nasty bruise in the same spot won't heal the same way as it did the first time – that's to say if it even heals at all."

"Oh," Izuka replied with a nod, understanding every word and registering it in the back of her mind to write down in her notes later about the hero. That's when a blaring question popped in the girl's mind, "I thought you only took care of heroes."

"All Might called me in personally to check on you," Recover Girl said with a hum as she signed her name on a release form and handed it to the girl laying on the bed. "Said there was someone unique I haven't treated, and I'm glad I wasn't disappointed. You're something else aren't you Midoriya?"

"I-I guess?" Izuka answered not really understanding if that was a compliment or just an evaluation because she was a quirkless patient.

"Quirkless, but with the soul of a fighter that can be found among many of the greatest heroes I've cared for," the lady explained and Izuka's eyes widened up at the shocking praise.

"You really mean it?"

"I never say anything I don't fully support," she said amused at the girl's reaction, "Now, if you don't mind, I have to get going. Please do take care I really don't want to see you again so soon…at least not while I'm on the clock."

Izuka nodded, a wide smile that she couldn't control was splayed across her face. This was a nicer encounter than the one she imagined with Kacchan a few minutes ago.

Once she was alone again for the second time, Izuka let out a laugh not believing that she had met the greatest nursing hero of all time. Recovery Girl had actually fawned over _her_ , a quirkless girl with nothing but selflessness to give for those in need.

Maybe that's why Izuka couldn't straight up accept All Might's power. She was scared that it would change who she was. Izuka wasn't one to be easily scared, but she couldn't help but find this situation terrifying.


	8. Acceptance

He walked out of the arena at a quick pace, and if one didn't know any better, they would've said he was raging mad. The thing was, no one really knew him any better. The majority of the time, he kept to himself, but he knew all the rumored whispers they told about him.

They usually called him arrogant or privileged due to his namesake. The thing was, he didn't really care because it wasn't true. No one truly knew him or what he felt towards the shadow of his father that followed him everywhere.

Just like today, the other students he had outrun in the arena had spoken in hushed tones that he knew he would pass without even trying. He frowned, not caring if he passed or not. He only cared that if he did, he did so without using his father's powers. He cared about scorning the man and showing him, he did it only using his mother's ice quirk.

The bastard deserved to know he couldn't control him. He, Todoroki Shoto, would never use his father's power.

Besides that, the other reason he had rushed out once the examination was done was that he didn't want to stay and see the results. He knew if he did, he would risk getting cornered by his father in front of all the other students.

He wouldn't be able to keep his hatred under control; he had been so close to snapping while trying to fly through the finish line with as much ice as possible. His father was the last person he wanted to see.

Consumed in his anguish, he had run straight into a passerby, and all because he couldn't keep a handle on his blinding emotions.

Izuka, on the other hand, couldn't understand why there was always something in the way preventing her from sending a text to Shinso.

She had been wondering how he was, what he was doing, and if he would be coming home soon. She missed talking to him and she wanted someone to talk to about her offer from All Might.

A bittersweet thought passed through her about how if he was still here, he would've been the one chosen by the Number One Hero and not her. But thinking like this was a hazard to her health, for some reason the fates had given her the opportunity instead and she couldn't help but feel like she was wasting it.

She sighed, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and looked back down at the phone in her hands, her fingers hovering over the screen to send him a quick greeting. What she hadn't expected was this being her last attempt to communicate with the blue-haired boy before seeing her phone fly out of her hands and land in a watery ditch near the pothole a few feet away.

Now she really felt like she was wasting her chances as they flew out of grasp – literally. Izuka was also certain her phone was officially destroyed.

That didn't include how she had plugged her phone to charge all night only to find out that the outlet didn't work when she had gotten back home from the hospital. She had finally managed to charge it up to thirty percent while she took a nap on the couch and before she could press his name in the messages section, her mother had called her.

They ended up talking for a good hour and a half until her mother casually remembered that All Might had invited Izuka to tour Yuuei earlier that day while she was sleeping. Her mother had accepted the invitation on her behalf and had called ahead to Izuka's school to let them know that she was under hospital orders to rest so Izuka could skip school and visit Yuuei instead.

What Inko seemed to have omitted was that the tour was to be held around noon meaning Izuka had less than half an hour to get there in time to check-in with the front desk and catch a glimpse of her dream school.

Which was why she had been in a hurry furiously sprinting her way towards Yuuei with her phone in the palm of her hand. She had wanted to tell Shinso everything that had happened since he'd be gone including how she had also missed the bus today.

It seemed that while her face was glued to the screen, she had missed noticing the boy charging towards her and found herself laying right under him with her phone crackling with electricity nearby.

Izuka grunted, briefly wondering if it was because she had hit her head too hard again or because she didn't even know Shinso's phone number by memory. She didn't even know where in the world he was to send him a hand-written letter. Izuka only hoped that he wouldn't think that she was forgetting him so soon.

If this wasn't bad luck, then someone seriously had to explain the meaning to her.

"Sorry."

"Sorry," Izuka mumbled realizing they had both spoken at the same time, but it surprised her even more that she was staring up at a very handsome heterochromia male. And he was only a few inches away from her face with a frown that made his eyes much more prominently sharp.

The blue and grey-eyed boy grunted trying his best to avoid touching the female or any of her body parts in fear that it would be misinterpreted and seen as inappropriate.

Izuka, however, wasn't paying any attention to that. She was hypnotized. She felt immobile, her body unresponsive and resorted to just watch him gracefully rise to his feet. He was just so beautiful to look at, almost ethereal, and he somehow reminded her of a princely anime protagonist.

It shocked Izuka that he had extended his hand out for her instead of yelling at her clumsiness or walking away as if it never happened. Instead, he chivalrously offered her help and she felt that if this had been an anime, she would've swooned right now. Too bad this wasn't that kind of show. It took Izuka's brain a few seconds to raise her own limb upward and welcome his aid to help her get up.

Then it took her another second to realize that she was still holding his hand before releasing it with a light blush. She couldn't form a coherent sentence because her mind was occupied with how soft and cold his hands were.

They just stood there looking at one another; he was waiting for her to speak, and she was just beyond speechless. To say the least, it was plain awkward.

With a shake of her head, she laughed this strange encounter away and took a step back, "I'm sorry. Thanks for helping me up, I should probably get going now. Oh! Look at that! I'm running late, bye!"

Izuka shuffled passed him, glanced at her watch only to realize that her lie was a big truth. She really was running late if she wanted to make that tour on time. Quickly, she ran down the street and towards Yuuei's front entrance.

She was close, a hand reaching towards the doors before she managed to trip over her feet. Thankfully she managed to catch herself from falling and Izuka sighed, her heart slowing down with a defeated sigh. She berated herself for being so clumsy and right in front of the cute boy too. She was positive he had seen it.

Shoto just watched in amusement, all burdening thoughts of his father gone for once, and stared after the green haired girl with freckles. She was different.

He didn't know what about her caught his attention. Usually, he would never concern himself over a girl, but he couldn't deny that there was something about her that entranced him.

Maybe it was the innocent aurora she carried herself with or the way she blushed, highlighting her freckles and making her sparkling green eyes pop. He rather liked the way she wore her heart on her sleeve too.

Shoto briefly found himself wondering who she even was, realizing he didn't even know her name before being interrupted by a buzzing noise nearby.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Shoto tilted his head in the direction of the noise and walked towards it. Before he knew it, he was crouching where the gutter was to see that the buzzing was coming from a cell phone stuck in the middle of a puddle.

He reached out to pick it up, dried it with the bottom of his shirt, and attempted to turn it on. A feeling had settled in his gut knowing this belonged to the green haired girl.

Once the light came up, he saw a picture of the girl being hugged by a woman who looked relatively like her older version but with straight hair before the screen completely blacked out on him. As fate would have it, it seemed like Shoto wasn't going to get any hints as to who this girl was.

* * *

Izuka gulped staring at the blue-haired lady sitting at the welcome desk furiously typing on the computer. There was no doubt the lady was beautiful. Her hair was side swept to the right, a single ribbon holding it in place. Izuka half wondered how she had heard her enter.

"Name?"

"Midoriya, Izuka," she answered the receptionist whose neck seemed to snap quickly at her revealing smart blue eyes. Suddenly, it seemed like she was interesting considering the front desk lady had previously been too preoccupied with her paperwork to look up at her.

"Midoriya?" The receptionist asked, wide-eyed and eerily inaudible.

"Yes?" She answered again briefly doubting herself as her eyebrows knitted together in thought. Izuka was pretty sure that was her name. "I'm here for the tour. Specifically interested in the Hero Support department."

"You're late," the lady tutted, glancing side to side at other employees before getting onto her feet, "No matter, I'll make an exception. Follow me, please."

Izuka just shook her head quickly stepping behind the lady who seemed to be getting farther ahead with every stride. Izuka watched in awe, despite wearing heels while doing so the older lady was still hard to keep up with.

"Unfortunately, the tour for the Hero Support department has already started, but you're in luck though, I have clearance to show you around my favorite part of the school: The Hero Arenas." She explained, glancing over her back at Izuka to make sure she was behind her, "You're quite famous around my office, Midoriya-san."

"I am?" Izuka asked nervously adjusting the strap on her bag.

"Yes, you are after all quirkless," she replied with a small chuckle watching Izuka become a tad bit bashful, "Not that it's a bad thing. You really shouldn't be ashamed of your differences. You caught our attention much faster than any other student who applied because of that. It just so happens that you also have perfect scores to go along with your rareness."

"Uh, um, thank you," Izuka said with a small smile before bumping into the lady who suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"We're here." She simply replied ignoring the fact that Izuka had walked right into her, she just seemed so happy to see…

Izuka stared in awe down at students and heroes alike racing one another, jumping over obstacles, training through their weaknesses and receiving praise from their partners. It was beautiful and Izuka's right hand itched to take some notes of the practices she was witnessing.

"You can write about it later," the receptionist teased, a knowing glint in her eye sparkled and Izuka blushed but explained before she could ask how she knew that. "Your professor holds you in high regards. He sent a very detailed reference about how you log heroes' strengths and strategies for bettering techniques. He even sent over an example of your work that you turned in for a project; I have to say, you've turned many heads among our professors."

"T-Thank you," Izuka muttered, she found herself saying that quite a lot. Working up her courage, she coughed to clear her throat and asked, "Do you happen to know exactly who was interested in my work?"

The receptionist pointed down to the arena where Izuka could make out Endeavor, the number two hero, speaking with a staff member who was holding a clipboard, "Let's just say he was very interested in you Midoriya-san."

"Really?" Izuka asked in glee, her eyes shining as she let out a girly scream within. "How cool!"

"Well, we must move on," the lady shortly said glancing down at her watch with a smirk. "There will be time to gush about it later, it seems like a very important hero would like to meet you."

Pushing Izuka down another corridor that leads to an equipment room, the lady continued explaining, "If you would like to accept the invitation, we must properly equip you before we head down to the arena."

"M-meet him?" Izuka nervously asked not believing her ears. "Meet right now?!"

"You're quite silly, aren't you?" she chuckled with a shake of her head. "Hurry now, he's a busy man after all. People to save, no time to waste."

"Right!" Izuka said, but she was freaking out on the inside. She was going to meet another pro hero which was a second for her considering she had already met All Might; was her life finally getting exciting for being quirkless or what? "You're right! We mustn't keep him waiting!"

Izuka was escorted by the blue-haired lady, who suddenly didn't appear much older than twenty into a locker room. The receptionist pulled a dark blue spandex suit for them both from a cabinet and Izuka caught a glimpse of her name tag which read Shiriusu.

"Here, this one should fit you perfectly, you can go ahead and change behind that curtain there," she said breaking Izuka from her thoughts and handing her one of the bodysuits.

Once changed, Izuka reappeared to see that her tour guide had also changed with one new addition, there were large blue fins attached to both her ears and her hair had been tied back into a ponytail with the ribbon.

"This is much better," she exclaimed to Izuka tapping the gadgets on either side of her head, "These help with my quirk, so I can hear above the normal human rate. It's an original design custom made here by the student's support class workshop."

"That's amazing," Izuka exclaimed remembering every detail of the fins so she could note it down later in her books. "Gadgets designed to aid and improve a quirk…have you ever thought of tuning them to communicate with animals specifically sea life?"

"Uh, no I haven't," the lady replied with a thoughtful look on her face realizing that the kid before her was onto something. "That's quite some intuitive thinking, I'll have to store that for later use. Right now, though, they must've cleared off the arena, so we should make our way down there. If you're still up to meeting a famous pro hero that is."

"Y-yes!" Izuka replied practically jumping in glee and momentarily forgetting what she had been thinking about earlier concerning her tour guide's hearing devices. "I do want to meet him. I can't believe he wants to meet me. I'm not special."

"Of course, you are, in such a short amount of time you've proved how intelligent you are to me." Disagreed the receptionist leading them down another hallway until they reached a set of descending stairs and continued to proceed down the route, "Don't be discouraged, everything you learn will help you become a better hero."

Izuka frowned at the woman's genuine words, "Oh I'm not looking to be a hero anymore. I'm interested in the general and hero support classes because I don't have a quirk."

The woman merely hummed with a disapproving shake of her head, "If that's true, then why did you check off Hero Class as your first option? Surely some part inside of you believed you could do it."

Izuka didn't know how to respond to that.

Had a part of her lost belief that she could be a hero? No, that was beyond ridiculous, she believed in herself. She was always able to accomplish anything she set her mind to, but becoming a hero was impossible. There was no way- Her mother had disagreed. Even Recovery Girl had mentioned that she was cut out to be a pro-hero. And then there was All Might.

He had given her chance in the end after seeing that she was beyond worthy enough to inherit his quirk. All Might had given her a small stepping stone to make her dreams a reality and she had foolishly turned it down. She had justified it as not wanting to see her the last person she held dear worry over her sake, but the truth was that she was a coward.

She was just scared that she would let everyone down because once she got a quirk then she truly did have something more to lose. Without a quirk, she had nothing, and she could live with giving her life to save someone with the potential to do more than she would've accomplished without one. This was what had made her self-sacrificing.

Would she be able to do the same with a quirk? Izuka had never asked herself this and was shocked to realize that yes, she would still be the same person. It would never change who she was because in the end she still wanted to save others. A quirk would just make it more achievable.

Izuka decided then and there that she would accept All Might's offer the next chance she got to see him.

"Ah, Sirius, nice to finally see that you've made it," All Might smiled in glee at the pair, "and with Izuka no less."

"You?" Izuka asked in shock wondering how she had managed to get so lucky. "You're really here?!"

All Might gave a loud, throaty laugh at Midoriya's antics of surprise. She sure was a breath of fresh air, that was for sure. He had never worked with such an emotional and fan-like student before.

"I thought I was going to meet Endeavor," Izuka chuckled scratching the side of her cheek as she confessed to the blue-haired lady who she learned was called Sirius.

That had deflated All Might's ego, but he shrugged it off with a tight smile as Sirius just laughed at how disappointed the number one hero looked.

"I see there was some miscommunication," Sirius said swallowing down the remainder of her chuckles, "All Might has been interested in you since your application passed the screening. He's read every evaluation you submitted and has been showing your little log books off to the higher-ups. There's no doubt he's very fond of you, now that I think about it, he's like one of your fans Midoriya-san."

Izuka let out a small squeal in her throat from disbelief, her eyes wide as she started off into the distance. She had thought honestly thought Sirius had been pointing at Endeavor, but this was just too much to take. This changed everything. This meant that she had been more than his last resort when he had been debating on who to bestow his power onto.

"Sirius, if you could give us a second?" All Might politely asked the blue-haired receptionist for privacy in which she gladly gave before walking further down the arena to speak with another colleague.

"Sirius is right, I have been interested in you since the first second we received your application," All Might explained with a broad smile leading them back into a tunnel and away from prying eyes and ears. "It had been hard for me to choose between Shinso and yourself, and I do hope you don't think bad of me for picking the former, but I considered you because I knew you are capable…"

Izuka just stood there continuing to observe the pro hero as he transformed back into Toshinori Yagi and kept on explaining why he had originally chosen Shinso. He repeated his sincere apology for confusing her for the male too, but Izuka wasn't paying much attention anymore.

Instead, she watched him as he fidgeted in shame. She could feel his sadness pass through her and knew he was genuinely sorry for putting her down as he did. For lying that she would never amount to anything when he hadn't even known her from the start.

The logic in Izuka continued to bloom knowing that even if she had been his second choice or last, it didn't matter because he had at least considered her for a brief second. He hadn't completely ignored her presence as a possible candidate and that made her smile.

The thought made her think of her mom and the conversation they had. She had told her that if she wanted something in life, she had to go for it no matter how many people wanted to opposite for her. It was her life in the end.

"It's fine now." Izuka quietly said breaking from her trance and cutting Toshinori's explanation short. She repeated it louder too just to make sure she could hear herself say these words, "It's fine now. Why? Because you are here."

"I want to be a hero!" Izuka shouted, her fists balled up on her sides staring straight up at the hunched over blonde who had suddenly gone mute.

Yagi watched the tears stream down her face, she surely was a bit of a cry baby but in a good way. She had managed to turn his catchphrase around and use it on him. No one had ever done that, and he knew she was going to continuously surprise him throughout her journey of becoming a pillar of justice. He knew she was going to change the world.

Izuka raised one fist in the air over her chest in a moment of strength, "I want to be the next One for All!"

"I'm glad," Toshinori said puffing back into All Might with a bright smile on his features and a chuckle dancing on his tongue, "But it won't be easy. It's a bit harder for women to become heroes. I'll demand a lot from you."

"I've never expected it to be easy," Izuka answered making All Might laugh once more.

* * *

It had been two days since she'd been missing from class. Three days since he'd seen the video of her running straight into the line of fire to save a child stuck in a car. Two days too damn long.

No matter how many times Katsuki convinced himself that she was fine like last time, he knew it was hopeless. He couldn't just ignore the fact that she hadn't shown up to school since the incident had occurred and could be lying in the hospital bed right about now.

He had half been expecting to see her yesterday or the day before that to scold her about how reckless she had been to have the nerve and run into danger. He also knew that no matter what he told her, it would always be in her nature to act so carelessly. Ever since they were kids she had always dropped everything and sacrificed herself to save an animal or himself.

He had witnessed it countless times too. Like that one time when he had fallen into the stream from trying to cross it on an unsteady log. She had given a girly scream, in front of his guy friends no less, and ran after him into the stream ignoring the fact that she had been wearing her new pair of leather shoes just to help him up. it had embarrassed the shit out of him back then and had earned her a disapproving frown from her mother when they came home to see that Deku had ruined her new shoes.

If she didn't show up today either, he was just about to give in and go see what had happened to her. She couldn't be hurt. He wouldn't believe she had been injured, but if she had missed school then that disproved otherwise.

Not believing didn't mean it didn't happen and he needed to confirm that she was okay. Katsuki convinced himself that it was because of his sanity and need to tell her 'I told you so'. It was definitely not because he was concerned about her.

He would rather simmer in his seat than admit that he was worried about Izuka. No, he just wanted to show it off in her face that he had been right all along about her not being cut out to be a hero.

The bell rang signaling the start of the class and right when he thought she was going to miss another day of school, she came in bursting through the door apologizing to the professor for being late.

What irked him was that she looked as if nothing was amiss; as if nothing had happened at all.

Katsuki clenched his jaw, watching her stumble towards a vacant desk near the door and a few feet ahead of his. He could practically sense her cheerful smile despite not being able to see her face.

Her hair was still unruly as ever, choosing not to tie it back today as it defied gravity and sprang towards every odd angle possible. Her curls looked like the only dangerous thing about her; he had no doubt that if a hand passed through it, it would get stuck in the tangles hiding there forever.

He continued to watch as she struggled to pat her frizzy locks down and tucked it behind her ears every now and then. It seemed like she had forgotten her hair tie or something and by the looks of it, not having it tied back was bothering her on some level. He betted that it could even strange an unknown bystander if they had the misfortune of accidentally touching her hair.

He momentarily envisioned the purple-haired brat getting choked to death by her green curls but suppressed his mirthless chuckle which turned into a growl as his eyes continued to roam her over.

She didn't have a single scratch on her, in fact, she looked like she was practically glowing. He tore his eyes away from her and noticed that he wasn't the only one looking at her either. All the other teenage boys seemed to be sneaking glances at her too and Katsuki could feel the rage bubble up in him.

This wasn't how the day was supposed to turn out. She should've been remotely sore and had a scratch or two just, so he could tell her how she was going to wind up dead one day.

Then everything would go back to how it had always been with her as a wallflower and not some eye candy for others to ogle in curiosity. It's not as if they guessed she was the one in the viral video from a few days ago, right? They didn't know her as well as he did.

Having enough of these unnecessary school antics, Katsuki raised his hand to inform the professor that he needed to use the restroom. He was just lucky enough to have a ribbon from his mother's packaging supplies in his pocket and be passing her desk just in time to slap the offending item down before her.

He smirked as Deku jumped from the violent action before exiting the classroom before anyone else could witness the exchange.


	9. a call with destiny

Izuka stared down at the piece of ribbon now inhabiting her desk. It was refreshing to see that some things hadn't changed.

With a mindless shrug and a pensive on her mind, she pulled up her hair into a bun, effectively tying her wild curls out of her face.

Izuka guessed she could always count on Bakugo's rash and volatile temper.

"Glad you could join us Midoriya," her professor said hovering over her desk and a manila envelope in hand. Izuka knew what it was the instant her eyes landed on it along with the sticker of Yuuei's school crest sealing the documents inside.

She wondered which lucky student would be taking it home before her teacher gently handed it to her like a peace offering.

"Congratulations," he subtly commented before turning on his heel and walking back up to the front of the classroom before Bakugo waltzed back in.

Izuka's hands shook as she opened the envelope revealing the one document she had always dreamt of receiving and thanked all the deities in the world that her professor hadn't made a humiliating scene like last time when he called her out.

Not that she cared much anyway, she had a dream to accomplish.

* * *

The old woman reached for her hand, her face drained of color as her eyes widened and turned a darker shade in color. Then she tusked, turning her palm up for further investigation.

"You have a daughter," she mumbled, "One who seems to attract very negative and tense human energy fields."

She released her hand shaking her head in disappointment, "And it worried you."

Inko was speechless. She hadn't expected any of this to occur, all she had come to the market were for some fresh vegetables to finish her soup after all.

"Are you afraid that she won't lead a normal life?" The lady continued, ignoring Inko's obvious discomfort, "Even though being quirkless isn't the norm anymore? Or is it that you fear that she won't achieve the happiness you believe she deserves?"

"How?" Inko asked trying to find the right words, but it seemed fruitless considering the older woman could just read her mind instead.

Inko just resorted to crushing the bag of baby carrots in her hand and following the lady who stepped aside to pick up a herd of herbs.

"I am a shaman of sorts," she casually replied reaching for two loaves and weighed them in each hand. Inko just watched as she continued examining her bread, "I know more than the average being."

"I-I didn't know that was a quirk," Inko mumbled quietly, still in shock of what was even going on.

"It isn't," she shook her head but cackled nonetheless, "However, seeing energy fields and learning how to read the might be considered a trade of a quirk. As for your daughter, you shouldn't stress about her finding happiness. You'll get wrinkles and look older than what you are."

Inko blinked, taking it all in and forcing herself to not go into shock. Once she gained ahold of her bearings she plucked the courage to ask, "Why is that?"

"I don't do free readings, but you looked like you needed the reassurance and I was just too tempted to not interfere," the shaman said placing half of her herbs into Inko's basket, "Exactly how long have you felt this way about your daughter?"

While Inko opened her mouth to explain, the lady cut her off before she could even start.

"Brew those herbs and take it before going to bed, they'll help rejuvenate you come morning and help achieve a well-rested sleep," she commented going down another aisle with Inko hot on her heels.

"I guess it started…"

"Oh, poor thing, that young since her quirk evaluation with the doctor?" She nodded in understanding and Inko was just baffled at her accuracy without having had to announce it herself. "Nine years is a long time, she must be 15 by now."

"She is," Inko confirmed, too amazed by the woman's ability to be nervous or scared.

"Rest assured, she is destined to find love in the arms of what I can see to be a fire quirk user." She hummed as if approving of the relationship and shuffling to find a short check-out line. Inko, on the other hand, was freaking out.

"That is if she manages to survive that cold attitude above everything else. She has quite the journey ahead of her."

Inko was in panic mode, her mind reeling, wondering what the hell that even meant.

With that said, the older lady paid the clerk while handing Inko her business card, "Call me if you ever need my services in the future. Or your daughters."

Inko took the card in hand, taking a second to read it and when she looked back up, the shaman was already making her way across the busy street.

"Wait!" Inko shouted hoping the lady would manage to hear her, "We didn't exchange names!"

The shaman scoffed and shouted back, "I'll remember you!"

* * *

He couldn't help but admit that she looked good with her hair up, her neck exposed, and was he salivating?

He scowled, looking away. What the hell was he thinking? He sounded like a sappy lovesick fool – and he was no fool. Besides, it was just a shitty piece of ribbon…one that looked particularly good on her.

Even if no one knew, it was like a little claim that she was some part his since she was wearing an article that belonged to his family.

With her wild spirit, a piece of Bakugo knew she would never belong to anyone the way romance movies portrayed. Not that he knew much about that topic anyway, just a wild guess, as his eyes landed back onto her.

He was losing his mind and she was to blame. She is the reason for all these silly, stupid thoughts.

It composed of that smile of hers as she stared at her paper and those eyes that brimmed with joy. She was glowing, and he couldn't breakaway. He was just too fucking addicted and that frustrated him.

What did she have that none of the other girls didn't?

She bit her lip as if she was attempting to mask her sudden happiness and Bakugo wondered why she was even happy, to begin with. Then she looked around the room, that goofy smile still on her face as she tucked her paper into her bag. He continued watching, her delicate wrist tucking a stray curl behind her ear before an idiot classmate ruined his view.

It was an unimportant boy, one he hadn't cared to remember his name, who had leaned forward and whispered something to Izuka who had turned completely red-faced and shy.

This irked him.

Why had she reacted like that? Why hadn't she acted like that when he handed her his mother's stupid ribbon she currently had securing her wild mane?

Bakugo silently cursed realizing why he was feeling so shitty. He was jealous. This explained why he wanted Deku's attention redirected for himself.

But what if had he missed something important while he was gone? Kami have mercy if the idiot boy had handed her a love letter while he was gone. Everyone knew to stay away from her, she was his target. He picked on her to remind the guys to stay away and if the kid had taken the opportunity while he was at the restroom, the boy was dead.

Nonetheless, he wouldn't make a scene just yet. Not with the teacher watching and his acceptance to Yuuei still pending. He had to make it through the year clean until the very end and his mother and the professor made it exceptionally clear that this meant no fights or detentions.

He sighed, trying to breathe through his anger. These emotions were a vulnerability. A weakness he could only associate with stupid, stupid Deku and the way she managed to ignite every single one of his nerves. She always had something to do with it since the very start.

Like when they were kids; she always wanted to help but he was the cool kid. He didn't need help, he had everything under control – all according to plan as he later explained to his posse – and he especially didn't need help getting off his butt from a _girl_. He ground his teeth; he had been out of his mind for thinking like that. Those were but memories now; their friendship had broken a long time ago.

He almost wished…wondered what would've happened if they had remained friends. Or if she had developed a quirk.

Bakugo growled. All this what-if thinking was making him irritated. No matter what he wished for, this was the reality and not a damn detail was about to suddenly change; every sane doctor knew it was too late for her to get a quirk this late in life.

An annoying snort from his right drowned out what he was about to think up next and Bakugo merely raised an eyebrow in question. Not that he cared what was so amusing, he just wanted to know why the kid had interrupted his thought process.

This was after all an idiot who tried his hardest to be on Bakugo's good side for popularity. He wouldn't have dared ruined his mood this loudly, so this should be interesting.

"Have you heard the grand news Bakugo?" The boy snickered, a wide grin covering his face and for some odd reason it put Bakugo off. "It seems that our class's quirkless freak got into Yuuei. Who knows what she did to bribe those old bats to even look at her application."

The idiot then looked over Izuka from head to toe almost hungrily, and Bakugo felt a crick in his neck as a timer began ticking down in his head.

"Well, she's got the body for it. Too bad it's for hero support, she would've looked so smoking hot in tight spandex too," the kid commented, his eyes still on Deku, and then he smacked his fish lips together as if tasting her.

That had done it for Bakugo as the insistent ringing numbed his senses. Bakugo took out all his pent-up aggression on the idiot, lighting him up like a fireball.

No one bullied Deku and referred to her as a slut. She wasn't and if any of his other classmates were smart, they'd keep their mouth shut and their comments to themselves unless they wanted to die.

Deku might be quirkless, but she deserved to be respected. That was the only reason, Bakugo tried to convince himself for acting this way, and it had absolutely nothing to do with his feelings towards her.

And as he accepted his dentition as if it were a badge of honor, he couldn't help but smirk as his eyes made contact with those big green eyes of hers.

He had finally gained her attention as she watched his every move and he ignored the surprise embedded within her stare. If only she knew that he had done it for her, she would have been doubled over with shock and, kami, he fantasized that she would have looked at him with gratitude too.

But those few seconds of her attention had been worth it, and the sensation satisfied something inside him no matter how temporary it might last. So, he took his mother's yelling like a champ, not feeling an ounce of regret.

* * *

Izuka blinked once, twice, four times and she still couldn't believe she had witnessed her professor running across the classroom, red pressure vessel in hand, to extinguish Bakugo's fiery behavior.

Literally. And as she stared at the fire extinguisher, discarded on the floor, she couldn't wrap her mind around the reason why Bakugo had acted out in such a manner. His usual method was threats and subliminal warnings, never a full out burning session.

Everyone had been watching too. Everyone had gotten the message or at least what she believed it to be: don't mess with Bakugo Katsuki.

What she did know for certain was that he had to have been super angered or pissed to light up the student who had been following him around like a loyal lapdog since the beginning of the school year.

The two had probably been friends too and Izuka felt her heart twinge in hurt as she recalled how harshly Bakugo had pushed her friendship aside out of the blue. Izuka assumed this, cutting people out of his life, was just a common occurrence.

To top it all off, he had been smirking with no hint of remorse, all while never breaking eye contact with her. Why had he looked at her out of everyone in the classroom? Had this incident reminded him or when he had shoved her out of his life? Maybe the message was for her; letting her know he could and would do the same to her if given the opportunity.

It seemed it didn't matter who he cut off as long as he still reigned on top.

Izuka just focused on breathing. No matter how much she wanted to abhor his actions, she hated herself for not being able to bring herself to detest him. Nevertheless, she wouldn't let this ruin her day.

She had just learned that her admittance to the hero support was accepted. She would require completing further paperwork and an exam, but she had made it through the first ring. According to the stats, less than a quarter of applicants made it this far.

She couldn't wait to break the news to All Might and her mom. And while she envisioned tight hugs and smiles, she never imagined seeing the red and white-haired boy sitting across her bus stop to get to Yuuei High.

She also didn't expect him to be staring at her, an unreadable expression on his face, as he walked up to her and entering her personal bubble. He was so, so close she hoped she didn't smell bad.

Oddly enough, against her discomfort and his lack of observation skill, she couldn't help but blush down to her toes. There was a gleam in his curious eyes that made her feel pretty and if she thought hard about this strange encounter it was a page straight out of a destined romance novel.

It surprised her how much she preferred he'd stay near her rather than a hand's length away. She blamed this want on that childish, innocent like aurora about him.

"Hello," Izuka managed to say as gracefully as she could from her clamped up throat. She just hoped she didn't sound as nervous as she felt; but why was she even caring about these superficial details anyways?

"HI," he nodded, bestowing her a clueless blink before focusing his attention to something within his satchel.

She just stood there watching him, testing her will to not fidget, and after what felt like an eternity as he abruptly stopped to meet her eyes. She felt the wind knock out of her, electricity tingling up her hands, as she stared into those accomplished mismatched eyes of his. He seemed to have found what he had been looking for.

He reached out his hand, silently asking her to extend her own between what little space they had between them. And she did as he guided while he placed a small, familiar electronic into her open palm.

Her mobile she hadn't realized she had been missing. Kami, was her mind toasted and fried since that far back? She was losing her touch with reality what with everything life-changing happening so fast.

"I believe that belongs to you," Shoto nodded in the direction of the cellular, "It fell into a puddle and you left it behind."

So that was why she had not realized she had been missing her phone. She could recall having it in her hand at the time she bumped into the very handsome male in front of her. She had been thinking about All Might's proposal, wanting to tell her friend Shino all about it when she had gotten preoccupied with getting to Yuuei High's tour on time.

"The battery was dead, but it was easy to find a replacement at the cheap market down the street," he said bluntly and Izuka realized he was simply stating a fact as he talked and not outright mocking her economic status. "I carried it around everywhere since I'm always near here and I was hoping to bump into you again."

"Woah, that's super kind of you," she said looking up to him, wanting to further express her gratitude while also realizing she didn't even know the name of her phone's savior. "I'm sorry I don't even know your name to properly thank you."

"Shoto." He said with a tight smile, praying she wouldn't push for a surname. He wouldn't give it; he wasn't proud of it and Izuka had a keen gut feeling that he would share it when he was ready.

"Thank you for returning my phone and reviving it Shoto," she said, sending him a genuine smile and he couldn't help but feel the warmth. He had not been on the receiving end of such a nice smile in a while considering he hadn't been home in months to avoid his father. The consequence of his actions seemed that he had also pushed away his siblings.

Nowadays, all he would receive were scowls and frowns from acquaintances. He liked how her smile reminded him of his older, caring sister. Her smile wanted him to know more about her and he would because he was not planning on returning home anytime soon.

"And you are?" he asked, making her jump. He didn't know that his eagerness had come off a bit rude, but Izuka brushed it aside. She wasn't easily riled and had the patience to share.

"I guess fair is fair, isn't it? It's Izuka," she said comfortably exchanged, assuming they were on a first-name basis and flashed him a small smile at the end.

She watched as he lit up with accomplishment once more, the funny thing was that he didn't smile. No, it shined through his eyes. They revealed everything, and she just happened to be close enough to notice their slight changes.

"Thanks again for keeping this safe for me Shoto," she said while seconds passed, and quietness took over. They just stood there, him starring at her face and she fighting her nervousness to not fidget on the spot.

With nothing else left to say, Izuka turned to leave and get back on track to reach her destination. She couldn't wait to tell All Might the good news. That was until she was gently held back from walking away.

Izuka felt her heart begin to quicken as she turned to look at him. His hair had fallen into his face and she almost anticipated for something sweet to occur. Kami, did she want something to occur?

She couldn't stop her mind from drifting back to her initial thoughts when they met. He was such a gentleman, almost like a prince, and she found herself leaning forward. Instantly, Bakugo appeared before her and her imagination Kacchan told her that princes weren't real.

"Your shoes are untied," Shoto said and as she looked down her legs, she could see that her laces on her red high-tops were indeed undone. Kami, she hated her imagination Kacchan.

Embarrassment filled Izuka as she squeaked a small, "Thanks", before getting down on one knee to tie the bunny knots. As she got up, her job done, she couldn't help but notice that he was still next to her.

"I almost forgot to ask," he said seeing that he now held her full attention, "I saw you entering Yuuei High. Will you be attending classes there for the new school year?"

So that was why he had waited for her to finish. She was somewhat relieved that it wasn't only because her shoes were unlaced.

"I'm working hard to do so," Izuka honestly replied, her will and determination rising like it usually did when she talked about her goals. "I've been working on my training and log entries like never before. I even have a new regime that I'm getting prepared to start this weekend."

Shoto wasn't one to be easily captivated or amazed. Nor was he the type to want to spend more time with someone just because, but he found that she managed to bring this side out of him. There was also something else about her that made him feel something else than just hatred – which was his typical mood as of late. Her presence made him forget his worries and enjoy the moment.

"Sorry, I'm just really excited," Izuka said rubbing the back of her head rather shyly. She had rambled and probably sounded like a dork now. "It's been my dream to get into Yuuei."

"Why are you apologizing?" Shoto asked, his brows creasing in confusion, "You have not done anything wrong."

Izuka froze on the spot, barely reminding herself to breathe while she processed what he had said. She had only apologized because she had been led to believe that her fast talk was annoying and irritating to most. It seemed that a certain blonde was the only one to get irritated by her.

Not even Shinsho minded her rambles whenever it slipped through into their training. He just never confirmed if she was annoying or not, besides the fact that she never dared to ask and he would always brush her one-worded apology away with a shrug.

Here was a very attractive boy who didn't seem to care. But that didn't stop her unfiltered mouth from saying, "I tend to ramble a lot worse than this. It's just that most often than not, it can get on everyone's nerves."

Had she really just humiliated herself in front of this handsome guy?

"I don't find you annoying," Shoto replied and Izuka believed him. Whether it was because she had a faint heart or because he sounded so genuine, she didn't want to know. She just wanted to trust him.

He wasn't talking to her like she was an outcast or deserved a stranger's pity. He was different for not treating her differently. She was just so tired of it all and he made her feel human. He also made her feel like a girl as she faintly blushed at his words.

"I find you interesting and I like being around you," he continued unaware of how much his words were affecting her. It's not like she could hide it either, her blush had spread so far up her neck that she practically looked like a ripe tomato thanks to her green hair. "I would like if you'd join me for lunch?"

Izuka had to give him props for being honest. Actually, he had to be the most honest boy she had ever met. And the most straight forward too.

She just couldn't believe that he wanted to hang out with her. It was a miracle that she was suddenly gaining another friend and it didn't hurt that he was so darn attractive. But he was different too. Unlike Shinsho, he didn't care about her quirk or lack thereof, he just wanted to be around her and talk. He was like her first real friend.

So, why wouldn't she accept his invitation to lunch? She wanted this just to as much as he probably did, but she also had responsibilities to keep. She had to talk to All Might about their next step in the plan of becoming his successor of One for All.

"I'd really like that," Izuka began, her voice trailing away in hesitation until she watched his face fall. It wasn't noticeable, just a small twitch before his features remained passive once more, but she had been all too familiar with the action to know that he was used to being turned down and it pulled her heartstrings. She knew exactly what he was feeling.

"But." He replied, his voice firm and she knew he was mad.

"I have some things I have to take care of first," Izuka quickly said, placing a hand on his shoulder just to make sure he wouldn't walk away from her in anger. She wasn't done talking yet. "And I'd love to have lunch with you after that. I just already made some plans for the day and I'm not the type of girl to break them. I follow through with my word."

She had to make him understand that she did want to hang out with him and wasn't brushing him off. However, seconds passed and Izuka thought it was because he thought she was lying. His calm, collective attitude was eating her patience up and she had to know what he was thinking.

"Oh," he said taking merely blinking like a lost puppy who just found some new gadget to explore. He was undeniably adorable, and he caught her off guard as he took his phone out, looked down at her and snapped a picture.

She bet all her good fortune that she looked like a horrible mess.

"What was that for?" She asked confused at why he had taken a picture of her.

"It's for your contact info, I need a picture of you in order to save your number, so we can arrange lunch in the future."

Izuka nodded. That makes absolute, complete sense.

"Well, fair is fair," she said, déjà vu hitting her hard as a smile spread across her face. Turning on her phone, they waited a full minute before she was able to snap his headshot.

She couldn't help but gawk at how handsome he managed to look. Then she mumbled something that didn't escape Shoto's ear who was merely watching her with awe and curiosity, "I hope I look half as decent as he does."

Shoto couldn't help but look over her shoulder at his picture. He didn't understand why she would want to look like him, he wasn't looking at the camera at all. Instead, he had been facing off to the side while his hair was all over his face. Which reminded him, he needed a trim.

Then he looked down at the picture he had snapped of her. In his opinion, she looked much better. First, she was staring straight at the camera. Then there was the fact that his lens managed to capture her big green eyes.

She had asked him something, most likely his phone number and he gracefully recited the digits from the top of his head. Watching her input the numbers, he couldn't help but notice how short she was. He towered over her quite a bit.

"Okay! I'll text you my number, I didn't realize how late it is! I have to get going," Izuka spoke and her cheeks burned. She was still smiling like an idiot, but she would never know that her smile had made his heart race and his chest warm. He thought he was getting sick as they parted.

Izuka hurried down the street, but something tingled behind her neck and on instinct, she looked back only to see that Shoto was a few feet behind her.

Was he following her? Why would he-

In one long strode, he caught up to her, stepping alongside her as she continued her path to Yuuei's school grounds.

"Are you following me?" She slipped and mentally facepalmed herself, she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"No, this is the way to Yuuei. You just happen to also be going the same direction," Shoto nonchalantly replied. Izuka didn't know whether he was accusing her of following him or trying to give her a suave excuse for following her. The funny thing was, she wasn't mad at either option.

"Wait-" Izuka said, comprehending his words. He was heading to Yuuei. Was he also into the hero support department…what if he was into the hero department?! Did this mean that he did care about quirks and all that superficial nonsense? Kami, now she was rambling and jumping to conclusions in her head.

Shoto was also processing the same thoughts, unknown to the girl, but he was quicker at keeping his thoughts straight, "Are you also heading to Yuuei?"

"Y-Yes," Oh no, why had her stuttering started? "I-I, I am-"

"Izuka! Didn't think I'd see you back here so soon," Sirius greeted her from the front entrance of the school gates. A crowd of children was by her feet, giggling and shouting, but she kept them in line.

Shoto merely watched the interaction with mild curiosity. He wanted to learn everything he could about her.

"I see you're giving tours," Izuka said smiling in reply.

"Just finished actually, I'm just waiting for their professor to come back from the bathroom," Sirius said with a nod. "So, who's your friend?"

Sirius, however, already knew who Todoroki Shoto was. She just wanted to know if Izuka knew that she was standing beside the number two hero's most prized son. The reputable Shoto, rumored to one day take down All Might with his unique hot and cold quirk. But did Izuka know this?

"This is Shoto," Izuka said a little too casually and Sirius' eyes widened at the formality, but the girl was too oblivious to notice as she continued saying, "I'm actually here to meet A…Toshinori-sama."

Sirius nodded, understanding exactly who the girl wanted to see. But the fact that Shoto was just watching her with such intense eyes ticked her off. Sirius knew Endeavor was up to something ever since he gained a sudden interest in Izuka's profile application, and just watching his son's behavior confirmed her suspicion. This was not good, she would have to notify All Might as soon as possible.

But first, she had to get the boy as far away from Izuka as possible. She didn't know how troublesome his name could get her into.

"I can personally take you to Yagi-san within five minutes," Sirius replied before sending a glare in Shoto's direction, "I will meet you in the _girl's_ locker room."

Izuka got the hidden message. It wasn't a request, it was a demand to be able to escape Shoto's watchful eye so she could see All Might in private.

"Meet you in five then," Izuka repeated with a tight smile. She only hoped it didn't look too forced; she didn't want to give anything away. For she understood the responsibility of keeping All Might's secret well, a secret.

She then turned to face Shoto, handsome Shoto, and Izuka shyly spoke, "I guess this is where I leave you."

Shoto silently nodded, watching her back disappear behind the entrance's doors. He hadn't wanted to see her leave, he rather liked her presence, but he had to take some time to think. She was at Yuuei. She needed to meet with this Toshinori-sama, who was her mentor of some kind. Did this mean that she wanted to be a hero too? He hadn't seen her at the try-outs.

Whoever she was, he wanted to know. And he would, when they would meet next time for lunch.

* * *

Sirius had decided against her better judgment to not tell the girl exactly who she had been conversing with.

Izuka would find out in due time, but Sirius was definitely going to tell All Might about her suspicions. He would know how to handle this situation if it was even worth worrying about.

"Izuka," Sirius said making her presence known in the girl's locker room, "Are you read-"

"I got in!" Izuka screeched in glee and Sirius couldn't help but smile widely at the girl.

Until realization came knocking in, she hadn't been aware of her application being approved for the hero course. They were only accepting those who were recommended by other heroes like Todoroki Shoto. Did All Might have something to do with this?

"I got into the hero support department!" Izuka cheerfully continued, while the older woman blanched.

Looking over at the excited girl, Sirius wondered if she would be swayed to leave the safety net of the hero support behind and believe in herself to try out for the hero department. She was too gifted and with All Might's quirk, she belonged on the hero path. Not that hero support and those in the back-end weren't great, they were typically the brains and amazing, sometimes smarter than the heroes themselves, but Izuka was destined for something bigger.

Sirius was freaking out hard. Good thing this was All Might's problem now. All she could do was help where she was needed.

"I'm guessing that's what you came to tell All Might?" Sirius nervously laughed.

"It's just…I got in all on my own." Izuka looked at her hands and a proud grin spread on her face as she whispered this, the complete opposite from her previous behavior and Sirius' heart melted for the girl. "It's not my original dream, but I've made it this far, I think that says something about oneself, right?"

"It's truly an accomplishment you should be pleased of Izuka," the older woman said placing a comforting hand on Izuka's shoulder. "Just don't be satisfied with it. It's just a milestone."

Izuka nodded, comprehension dawning her as she understood the woman's wise words. She had to keep pushing to see how far she could go; this was only the beginning.

Sirius knew then that even All Might would be proud of her too. With the right words and support, they had nothing to worry about. Izuka was going to do great things with her quirk.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I don't usually write author notes, but you all deserve an explanation for waiting so long for this new chapter. I've recently moved, went on a month-long vacation, and gotten a new job that involves starring at a screen and coming up with creative marketing sentences all day long. Usually, I'm to dried out to look at my computer when I get home. So, thanks to this frustrating writer's block and writing in my journal instead, I've slowly managed to write this chapter and a few paragraphs of the next. I'm sorry for the slow updates, but I would like to thank all my followers for their amazing support and loyalty for still keeping up to date with my fics._

 _All of you are the best! And reviews are an encouraging incentive._


	10. Cake and Vomit

"Bakugo's home early today," Masaru commented as he opened the door and noticed his son's shoes shoved behind it. "What did he get himself into now?"

"Ha! You'll never believe it!" Mitsuki frowned, taking off her messy apron and draping it over a chair, "Bakugo, get down here at once and tell your father what you've done this time!"

A stomping noise could be heard from above until he appeared at the top of the staircase with a growl.

"The hell are you getting dad involved in this for?" Bakugo angrily asked, but he descended nonetheless, "It's not worth talking about, nothing happened."

"The nerve of him," Mitsuki grumbled, "You are so not off the hook yet, you ungrateful, little brat."

"That's no way to talk to your mother Bakugo," Masaru chuckled, it never ceased to amaze him how similar these two were. Their constant bickering and bumping of heads always made his day as he returned from his quite and uneventful work atmosphere. With these two around, it was never a dull day.

"First they give me hell over damned Deku and now you too?" Bakugo shouted, his teeth spiky as if he was ready to bite anything that had the nerve as to look at him funny. "Why is every shitty person giving me a hard time?"

"Izuka? Wait, did your little outburst had to do with her? What's wrong with Izuka?" Mitsuki asked, her angry tone diminishing as she sharply turned to her only son, "Bakugo, explain your actions this instant!"

But he ignored her as he sat down at their couch and just resorted to placing his head in his hands in defeat.

Mitsuki just watched before she resorted to silently pace in back, her thoughts racing wildly. She needed to know what was wrong with her future daughter-in-law that had Bakugo all worked up. It couldn't be that she had finally gotten herself a charming young boyfriend, could it? Shit, maybe it was that purple-haired boy, damn she had jinxed it after all. Had that boy beaten her son's chance at asking Izuka out already? This ruined her plans of being a grandma back a few years, kami knows who would accept her idiot son.

Luckily for the sake of Mitsuki's sanity, Bakugo wasn't ready to talk about his feelings regarding Izuka just yet. Instead, he changed the subject on the girl of his current predicament, "She went and got herself into Yuuei."

Mitsuki instantly knew that the boy was jealous, but of what exactly, she wouldn't know. So instead, she played dumb – it always worked.

"What?!" His mom shockingly proclaimed and Bakugo thought that finally, someone was getting it.

He thought that his mom was finally understanding that Deku was getting in over her head. Why couldn't she just choose to lead a normal life with a normal job?

Mitsuki just tried not to laugh and give away her bad acting; her son was so clueless, just like how he was oblivious of his feelings for the green-haired girl.

Adding salt to her son's wound just for the fun of it, Mitsuki chocked back a fake sob, "Look at her getting into her dream school and beating you to it all in one go. She really is perfect, isn't she?"

His mom sure knew how to toy with him. Just why couldn't she at least try to understand his reasoning? At this rate, Deku was going to get herself killed. No matter what department, as long as she was enrolled in Yuuei High, she was going to be a target for villains.

"There's no such thing as perfect," Bakugo said between clenched teeth and a tense jaw, but it fell on deaf ears. Or at least he thought it did.

"There's no doubt that the girl's got the brains for Hero Support, she's always been right behind you on the scoreboard," his father said, recognizing that Izuka was special – she always had been, but most importantly she was special to Bakugo.

Masaru looked at his lovely, fiery wife who seemed to be stuck in la-la land. This was Masaru's time to fulfill his role as a strong parent to their only son, so he did what he knew best: he comforted Bakugo.

"Besides, Mitsuki, Bakugo isn't behind. He's still got to pass the entrance exam as everyone else remember?" Masaru explained, backing-up his son who looked a bit dejected at his mother's words, "She must've gotten accepted first because it's the hero support classes. Those always get their paperwork done a bit more quickly."

There was a moment of thankfulness as Bakugo looked up at his father – no hate or anger firing in him, just a small, almost non-existent smile.

"Oh, never mind that!" Mitsuki said, completely oblivious that she had cut their father-son moment all too short, "Do you know what this means once you get into the hero course?"

Bakugo narrowed his eyes at his mom, "Before you jump into your stupid conclusions, I'm outta here."

"You little-!" Mitsuki fumed, "Humph, I was going to say that you could be THE dream couple of the century. She'd be the brains behind the operation and you, the hero out on the field. It'll be a perfect dream!"

"Like I said," Bakugo shouted, stomping his way towards the stairs and far away from his crazed mother, "there's no such thing as perfect old hag!"

Mitsuki had enough of her son rejecting her ideas, "You're just mad that she's already in. You've gotta learn to control your temper better than that if you want to keep up with her. Being angry and mean isn't going to get you anywhere. You're aiming to be a hero, so act like one."

Her son halted in his tracks and when he turned around to face her, Mitsuki thought a miracle was beginning to perform. It looked like he was going to apologize and agree with her! It was so exciting up until the point where Bakugo flipped her off and she lost it.

He then ran for dear life to lock himself up in his room before he faced death by mother at the young age of 16 and a half. Luckily, he survived with his mother now banging on the door furiously.

"I'm going to send my congratulations to Inko on behalf of her daughter's achievement," Mitsuki was not going to give up without a fight, she was going to get her son back for his little show of disrespect to the woman who brought him to where he is now. "And you're going to join me, brat!"

"What?!" Bakugo shouted ripping the door open, zipping past his mother and heading straight to his dad, "Dad! She can't force me to go!"

"You heard your mother," Masaru was not going to choose sides, besides the fact that his wife was always right, this would also do some good for Bakugo, "You acted out, now face the consequences, else you're no better than those so-called villains terrorizing the streets."

Bakugo just groaned loudly.

"Ha!" Mitsuki shouted, her upper body hanging off from the rail to point at her defeated son, "I won!"

"Whatever," Bakugo mumbled, a frown covering his face. He was not ready to face Deku; he didn't want to.

"Get ready," Mitsuki said, proudly strutting down the stairs like she had just received an award, "We're leaving right after I prepare the cake."

* * *

All Might heard a knock on the door and he quickly shifted into his hero form.

"Come in," he responded and when he saw Izuka and Sirius enter, he breathed a sigh of relief as he deflated back to normal. It was one of his more painful days and he was too strained to shift for long periods of time. "Ah, young Midoriya, didn't expect to see you here so soon. Are you this excited to hear about my plan to help you get ready for becoming the next One for All hero?"

Izuka smiled brightly, practically bouncing with every step, it seemed that there was something important she was bursting at the seams to tell him about, "Actually, All Might, sir-"

"All Might or Toshinori is more than enough Midoriya," he cut in and then watched her nod as she continued.

"I got into the hero support department!" Izuka said, shrieking towards the end of her announcement.

"I see congrats are in order then," Toshinori laughed, amused by her enthusiasm. She seemed highly excited and he just wondered how joyous she would act like once she passed the hero entrance exam…that was if she hadn't changed her mind about becoming a hero. "This still means you want to be a hero, right?"

"Of course!" Izuka said, her smile wiped from her face in shock. "How-why would you ask me that? I made a commitment and I will follow through with my word."

It seemed like nothing had changed. She was still Izuka and that just made Toshinori happily laugh some more.

"Right, well, should we go over the details of your new training schedule while you're here?" he asked while Sirius excused herself from the room.

"Can we?" Izuka asked, amazement covering her curious features. "This is so cool!"

Toshinori just couldn't stop chuckling around her. She seemed to carry life wherever she went, and the light just seemed drawn to her. She would make a great hero with this kind of personality.

"Grab a chair, there's much I need to tell you about," Toshinori nodded, laying down a calendar before him. He had carefully planned everything, and he sure hoped it would work, but noticing her determination and happy stamina, he knew deep down that everything would fall into place.

* * *

Izuka was walking home, the sun setting rather beautifully behind her and she couldn't help releasing a long, tired sigh.

With how eventful her life seemed to have gotten, she was half expecting something to pop out of the bushes and frighten her. Instead, she found herself walking in a peaceful silence reminiscing everything that had happened to her in the span of a month or so.

It was true that she had been in the wrong place at the right time to have been chosen as the next in line for the One for All quirk by an exhausted All Might who had confused her for her sparring partner and closest purple-haired friend.

And then out of nowhere, she had gotten accepted into her dream school – all on her own – and befriended yet another boy who didn't want to bully her every chance he got.

Shinso Hitoshi… She wondered how she would break the news to him. Izuka sighed again, pulling her phone out and her fingers hesitating over the call button.

She wanted to tell him everything she did. But a part of her felt like she was betraying him for having found another friend and suddenly gaining a quirk that would put her in the big leagues.

Mulling over the outcome of telling him, she knew that no matter what, he was her friend and he would understand that she had not intentionally planned for any of this. That positive thinking gave her courage and before Izuka knew it, she had pressed her phone by her ear as it buzzed.

She just hoped he would be happy for her and support her, but when the line clicked and she was sent to his voice mail, she knew she wouldn't learn how he'd react any time soon.

So, she did the only logical thing she could think of before her courage washed away: she called him three more times. Each one sending her right back to that automated message that her call was unavailable to connect at this current moment and to try again later.

"Come on," Izuka mumbled at her phone before pocketing it and looking up at the sunset, "pick up your phone. I've got loads to tell you."

"I even ate a hair today and you're not here to hear about that horrible experience," Izuka continued mumbling to no one but herself as she continued her way home.

All while being completely oblivious to the glowing pair of eyes following her petite frame.

* * *

Inko was fretting.

Izuka was doomed, she was going to end up just like herself…just the thought had Inko biting her nails in worry. She wanted something better, less lonely for her daughter. She wanted Izuka to have everything including love.

Dammit all, why was their family cursed? Her daughter had been ill-fated from the beginning since her father had left and then when they had learned she would never develop a quirk, but now this?

Inko came to learn a while ago as she raised her own daughter alone that nothing good ever came from a partner with a fire quirk. They had both been too young, too naïve to believe in the false sense of love and it had all come crashing down when it came to the real world of finances and job searching.

She knew his leaving was justified, to support his family, but she had pleaded with him that they could do it together. He had been too stubborn and prideful and Inko felt guilty when he went missing in action…

She always believed that if she had tried harder, fought harder, then maybe Izuka would wake up to a father in their home. But that was in the past, Inko knew now that she had to protect the future of her daughter's happiness.

She only hoped that the shaman wasn't referring to the Bakugo's son; she knew of his bullying behavior despite her daughter's denial since their falling out. However, no other male fit the description.

Inko fell onto the couch, her body slouching in. Dear Kami, her back was cramping up from all this stress.

She wanted her daughter to explore the world and learn everything she could before settling down. Her girl was too young, despite her 16th birthday quickly approaching, to get caught up the matters of the heart being led by the hands of destiny and fate.

She hated that word. Inko always believed that people were in charge of their own lives, but there was an ominous chill she couldn't ignore in the old shaman's words.

She could only pray that none of this was true and Izuka would not end up with someone who wouldn't treat her right. That her partner would be supportive of Izuka's hopes and dream, of her choices in life and provide for everything she needed. That he would be everything she deserved in a man…or woman.

Maybe Inko would pray super hard for it to be a woman so she could rule out Katsuki Bakugo as an option.

Despite all this, the hardest thing for Inko to think about was whether she was going to tell Izuka about it or not.

Two knocks came from the front door and Inko gathered her courage to face her daughter. She didn't know if she actually could keep a secret this big from Izuka.

"Izu…ka…?" Inko asked after pulling the door open, her voice fading as she saw Mitsuki Bakugo and her son standing on the other side with a large pan in her hands. Now she understood the phrase, speak of the devil.

"I just heard the news from Katsuki!" Mitsuki said, barging in while her son stayed outside, yelling at her overly excited behavior that they weren't officially invited in yet.

Inko couldn't help but agree with the boy as she blanched from the unsettling feeling in her stomach that what they were carrying was the kind of celebratory gifts one would give during a big moment in another's life. But one look at his crooked smile and the fruit tray in his nervous hands and Inko knew she couldn't kick them out without hearing their side of the story.

Clearing her mind, Inko granted the boy entry as she turned to her old friend and asked in a timid voice, "You did?"

Inko's mind was racing, as she wondered exactly how Mitsuki had come to find out about her daughter. Crap, did this mean that Izuka's fate was sealed and unchangeable? Or what if Izuka and Katsuki had initiated this, this courting or relationship, or whatever kids called it, all on their own.

"Inko? Are you all right? You're hyperventilating," Mitsuki said worriedly, yelling at Katsuki to bring a chair over to help the woman sit down. "Just take a deep breath."

"I'm sorry," Inko apologized, not wanting them to get the wrong idea, "I don't know what came over me."

"No need to apologize," Mitsuki said with a small, comforting smile and Inko found the blonde's words contagious as she felt a calmness wash over her.

"I'm sure all moms get a bit excited when they hear that their kid just got into Yuuei High." Mitsuki continued, ignoring Katsuki's groan, and handed Inko a piece of chocolate from her purse to help with Inko's nerves. "I know I did when I heard Katsuki was approved for the second round into the hero course. I screamed so loud that Katsuki wanted to poke his ears in with a pencil."

That had Inko pausing in revelation as she let out a heavy, tense sigh. That had cleared Inko's thoughts and changed everything. Eureka, their kids weren't getting married! Her prayers had been answered and nothing big had happened besides Izuka getting into her dream school.

Kami! Izuka had gotten into Yuuei. All on her own. Her girl really had done it hadn't she?

"She got in!" Inko shouted, jumping to her feet before bouncing up and down in excitement.

"That's the spirit!" Mitsuki happily cheered as she joined in with Inko, wide smiles across both their faces. "I always knew our kids were smart enough to make it. My son in the hero department and your daughter in hero support, it's amazing!"

Katsuki rolled his eyes, internally cringing at the scene before him. He felt like vomiting from watching his mom.

Inko, on the other hand, nodded in agreement. She was glad that she could share the excitement with a friend and wondered why the two had grown distant. There was a time when they had been rather close friends, and the fiery blonde had helped her through her loneliness, what had happened between them?

"I think I heard the door," Katsuki lied, excusing himself while his mom opened the bottle of sparkling champagne. It wasn't like they heard him anyway, they weren't going to miss him, but he was starting to miss the girl of the hour.

As he stepped back outside, to admire the purple sky, Katsuki wondered where the hell Deku was now. The stars were practically out now and didn't Inko have the girl on a curfew? Deku had too much leeway; she could easily run into trouble this late at night.

"Bakugo?" Izuka asked, her head tilted in confusion as she stopped in her tracks to stare at him.

"Stop staring idiot," he barked out at her, not wanting to think about how cute she looked for that brief second in his mind. "I'm not a fucking mirage."

He didn't miss her blush or the quick way she turned her head to the side.

"What are you doing in front of my house Bakugo?" She asked and he wondered when she had grown the courage to confront him so casually. He couldn't help but grin at her boldness.

"What are you doing getting home so late Deku?" He countered and watched her stumble for words. He knew he had it bad as he enjoyed how the moonlight played against her freckled skin.

He appreciated everything in the world for a second as she continued to struggle to make up an excuse before her shitty phone rang, effectively saving her from lying.

"Hello?" She asked, turning away from him as if to gain a bit of privacy. He didn't like it one bit.

Katsuki did not want her to turn her back to him. Call him selfish, but he wanted all her attention to himself.

"Hello?" He heard her ask a couple times more before an audible click echoed around them. He knew he shouldn't feel this way, but he was satisfied that someone had cold-called her.

It granted him more time to spend with her alone and gave him more of a justification to what he always did when he was around her.

"What great friends you have," he mocked, but his words did not affect her. She always ignored his rude remarks, never caring for the underlined meaning. The unspoken words that screamed that he cared about her.

He was rash and blunt when he spoke to her because she always looked so damned dreamy-eyed. She was never in the real world no matter how hard he tried to make her see it. The real world was miserable and sad, and fucking lonely.

"I don't recognize the number, it's not in my contact list." She answered honestly, one of her qualities that made her beautiful and completely unattainable for him. It reminded him how innocent, how naïve she still was.

Another reason he had stayed away from her and tried his damn hardest to show her that the real world wasn't like the movies.

"Is it even that long?" Katsuki joked, but when her bright green irises landed on him rather seriously, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. He had pushed too far.

He never wanted to purposely hurt her, but he never could hep himself from always achieving that. He always crossed that fucking fine line with her.

"Is there a requirement I need to reach before being labeled as a loner and jump off the ledge?" Izuka automatically replied, feeling every bit of a fight on the tips on her fingers. What the hell was wrong with her mouth? Could this be a side effect of consuming All Might's powers?

Meanwhile, she now had to deal with a wide-mouthed Katsuki.

"The fuck is your problem Deku?" Bakugo shouted at her, stepping forward to invade her personal space. "The last thing I want is you dead, _bright eyes_."

Izuka smelled rich oak and amber as she looked up just to see Katsuki's face. She had never noticed how close he reeked of firewood and she couldn't find it in herself to dislike the burning odor. The pleasant smell combined with his hypocritical words left her in a jumbled daze as she tried her hardest to process what he had said.

"What?" She breathlessly asked, trying not to inhale too much of him as her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

"Don't act stupid Izuka," she heard him reply, but couldn't concentrate on how his breath tickled her forehead. He was so close. "You know I didn't mean any of it when I said that long ago."

"Suicide isn't a joke Katsuki," Izuka rebutted, taking a step back so she could get far away from his intoxicating smell. "Mental illness is real. It was immature and I thought you were better than that."

It had never dawned on Izuka how bothered she had been from his stinging words in their empty classroom. At first, she had convinced herself that yes, he didn't mean any of it. She brushed it off as if he was stating how blue the sky was, but the longer Izuka watched him, she knew she hadn't known him for quite some time.

Were they even friends? If so, why did he act the way he did towards her?

"You know I didn't mean it. I never mean it," Bakugo growled, his teeth grinding so loudly that Izuka felt her own jaw hurt from the aggressive action.

"Do I?" Izuka asked, but she was asking herself more so than him. "I haven't known you for years Bakugo. I-I don't know who you are."

Yes, they had been friends. They had memories; the good and the bad and the ones that made her tummy tingle when he had humored her when they had been younger. But all that was over now.

It hurt her, bitterly, how much she had just realized that there was more to Bakugo than she had originally thought of him as in her mind. The boy she had always made him out to be didn't dare compare to the blonde standing before her.

Or the way he approached her like a wild animal caging its prey.

Her Kacchan was courageous, kind, strong, and above all her friend.

The one who was now mere inched away from her face, looking down with his burning red eyes was a boy she had yet to befriend. However, this stranger was dangerous.

He was rash, with an inflated ego and dear Kami it made her quiver all over. He was older than she remembered, taller and it pained her to not know what his favorite drink was.

But she did know that this new Bakugo had it out for her since they stopped hanging out. Her mother had been right, and she had been an idiot for defending him all these years. When had he stopped being her Kacchan?

"Funny," he commented, but no one was laughing, "you know me better than anyone Izuka. And I promise you that I don't want you dead. What I said that day was a mistake what I want is…"

She watched him hesitate. His composure breaking and it gave her hope that she was wrong; that he was still the Kacchan she knew and loved.

"What?" Izuka urged him, she needed to know if he had changed. She needed to know if she should dim this silver of hope that he was her friend despite their falling out once and for all. "If you don't want me gone, what do you want?"

"I want you to be safe." He said, the scowl on his face gone and he looked miserable. It made her heart beat faster as she registered the seriousness in his words and what they meant.

He cared. He cared about _her_.

"Izuka! You're here, why don't you two kids come inside?" Inko said, a wide smile covering her face and Izuka noticed that Bakugo had composed himself after her mother's interruption.

Izuka wished she had a few seconds longer with Bakugo so she could think about everything he had said thoroughly. So she could have the chance to reply since they were being honest with each.

"Yes! There's a yellow sponge cake to celebrate your acceptance into the Hero Support course!" Mitsuki appeared behind Inko, "You two can catch up over a slice or two."

The image of yellow food made Izuka's stomach drop and not in the good way. It reminded her of a certain piece of golden hair she had gulped down with water an hour ago.

Despite liking the idea of eating cake with Bakugo to see if their friendship could be saved and possibly rekindled, her digestive system had other plans.

She ran past her mother and Mitsuki, ignoring their calls behind her until she reached the bathroom and locked the door behind her. It had been a miracle that she had made it to the bowl to retch her guts out without letting anything slip out on her way to her destination.

Bakuugo on the other hand just stared as he watched her flee from them. Or was it from _him_?

Was she that disgusted by him that she had vomited? He had been about to bare his soul to her and here she was thinking that he was nothing better than a scrape of gum on the bottom of their desk.

Katsuki had enough of being humiliated as he stomped away from Izuka's home and their parents.

He was going to show her that he meant every word he had told her tonight. He was going to prove it to her. He was going to show her that all the pain he put her through was for her own benefit to keep her from getting hurt from the bullies that paraded their school, but most importantly from her overactive imagination.

He was going to be nice to her and she better be damn prepared for it.


	11. the female advantage and the coward

She was not prepared.

Not. At. All.

Izuka ducked the raging fist flying straight at her and let out a small squeal as she tried to charge her fisted palm with the same energy before All Might charged at her once more.

She was not ready at all! Did this mean she would fail to be able to fully embrace her newfound powers?

Izuka started hyperventilating at the thought. She was such a disappointment!

She would be a terrible hero.

"I think that's enough for today," All Might said, deflating back into Yagi Toshinori, "Something is bothering you from giving it your all."

"What?" Izuka said, putting down her fists, "No. I need to practice."

"Don't push it, kid," Toshinori sighed, placing one hand on her shoulder, "You're doing great and you don't want to over exhaust yourself just yet."

She should've listened to the ration part of her brain; the one that agreed with her teacher that yes, it was only their _tenth_ training to attempt to activate her quirk. But who was keeping count? She certainly wasn't…

She just had to let it naturally happen. Her quirk was unique, and it would power up when it thought she was ready for it to handle it. It's just that, she was never really the type of girl to just sit back and wait.

She was annoyingly impatient with these kinds of things. This was exactly what her mother meant when she said her stubborn determination could also be her weakness.

"I'm sorry," Izuka apologized completely ignoring her rationality thanks to a large amount of guilt sitting in the pit of her stomach. "I'm sorry that it's taking so long."

Maybe she had been the wrong person for him to choose to inherit his quirk. If she hadn't insisted so much, he could've been better off with a prodigy of a student. And said prodigy would've already been able to activate the quirk and start training like a pro way before she could even-

Her thoughts were cut short as Toshinori's laugh cut through and confusion settled within her.

"I don't understand," Izuka asked, "What is so funny?"

"You are quite funny my dear girl," he replied, bellowing out another laugh. "You must be careful with your mumbling, I can hear everything you're thinking about."

Izuka felt herself turning red in embarrassment.

Nevertheless, All Might continued speaking trying to bring her hopes back up, "We cannot dwell on the what-ifs when the past is unchangeable. It will do you good to remind yourself that you cannot rush these things – no one can. Maybe we should tackle this through another strategy rather than just trying to catch you off guard."

Izuka simply raised an eyebrow, wondering what he had in mind.

Since she'd swallowed his hair, he had been ambushing her into protecting herself in hopes that the quirk would kick in. She had not felt any different in any of those encounters and had always ended up merely escaping his flying fists each time.

"Let me teach you how to properly protect yourself instead and we'll see what happens," Toshinori said finally gathering his bearings. "And just remember, it is not your fault."

A newfound flame of determination engulfed Izuka who nodded in agreement. She had to get it through her head that he was right, she could not control this situation.

Despite the panic that fluttered in her stomach, she had to shove it away with a deep breath.

Just a few weeks ago she had felt like she was on top of the world. Now…now she just didn't know what she was feeling.

If anything, she felt lost and she berated herself for even allowing herself to feel that way. She had no right to express such a feeling after convincing All Might to let his legacy live in her. She knew what she had to do to be where she needed to go: Yuuei High.

It was also what she wanted more than anything besides a quirk. So why did she feel so alone?

"Your goal is to defend yourself so I don't knock you out," All Might said throwing her a broom handle which she caught. "Trust your instincts Izuka."

She nodded, before having to quickly duck All Might's swinging staff.

"Hey!" Izuka shouted, jumping out of the way of another strike, before turning around and using her broomstick to prevent a blow on the back of her head.

"Nice block," All Might said, "but you have to be quicker and smarter if you want to land a hit. Your opponents will not give you a warning when they attack."

In a puff of smoke, he was gone and Izuka turned around once more to watch as Toshinori went in to strike the back of her knees. Luckily, she jumped to the side, swinging her baton in hand and almost landing a hit on his stomach.

"Better," he grunted out, and she laughed in glee at her almost lucky hit. "But not good enough. Don't celebrate or drop your guard just yet Izuka. I need you to find an opening and try to land a hit."

She nodded, clutching at the stick in her hand in anticipation. She needed to be ready to defend and strike and her mentor only gave her a few seconds before Toshinori continued in succession to disappear and reappear in her blind spots trying to knock her off her feet.

The next few minutes sounded like music as their sticks clicked and ground against one another before releasing and going in for another fearsome round.

Izuka's hands were red, her wrists pulsing and aching as she tried different strategies to even manage to poke the pro hero on the shoulder, leg, chest, anything for crying out loud! However, all she was able to do in between the quick seconds of Toshinori withdrawing was to prepare to defend least she loses an appendage.

"I hope you are learning that one cannot simply get faster or stronger in a split second. When you fight, no matter how much stronger you must always look for an advantage to bring you to the same level as your opponent." Toshinori explained, going in for another strike at Izuka which hit her squarely on her back. "This will help you beat them."

"Right…" Izuka mumbled out half-heartedly and a bit out of breath. She was starting to wonder if that was even possible with how fast he was moving.

"Believe in yourself Izuka," Toshinori grunted out, and that was when she noticed the sweat beading down his forehead. She was wearing him down, even if it was just a little.

"Trust your instincts and find an opening," he continued saying, guiding her to become what he knew she could be.

Izuka took a second to observe her opponent. Toshinori was just as exhausted as she. She was at getting to him, but he was right. Despite how tired he appeared, he was still much faster and more experienced than her. If she wanted to best him, she would need the upper hand.

"Okay," Izuka said, determination simmering in her eyes, "I'm ready!"

The sparring continued, and Izuka made sure to be more aware of the fight these next few rounds.

That's how she noticed that he always started with the same stance; he would use his right foot first, strike, take a back step, strike and repeat the set again from the very beginning.

Why hadn't she noticed that before?

Izuka tested out her theory. She needed to make sure she was right. So, she moved to her right side and watched how his steps synchronized despite the change of locations. She then moved to her left right before the second strike to her chest and almost smiled at her revelation as she watched him continue his sequence.

Right foot, strike, back step, strike, right foot strike…she repeated it like a mantra, knowing it was the key to unlock her victory over him.

Her eyes then traveled back up to her stick before landing on Toshinori's baton lazily hanging from his hand. He was getting confident again, and she needed to act fast if she really did want to land a hit.

Toshinori took his repetitive step back before going in for a hit, and in a blink of an eye, Izuka dodged. Her little jump landed her to his right side and before he knew it, his little step forward on his right foot had trapped him between Izuka's fist to his back and her stick at his neck.

"That was beautifully executed!" Toshinori bellowed and Izuka let her stick drop to the floor as she joined him in his laughter.

"It means a lot to hear that," Izuka hummed and laughed some more.

"That was pretty smart of you," Toshinori admitted and Izuka could sense a speech coming on, but she didn't mind. This little pause helped with recovering from their extensive training session and it would allow her to bond more with her mentor.

Despite being his number one fan, there was still a lot she didn't know about him.

"You did good counting my steps, I wasn't expecting you to catch on so quickly. However, finding an opening might not be this easy in a real battle," Toshinori said, and Izuka merely raised an eyebrow silently asking him to continue.

"What I mean is…the sad truth is…" Toshinori hesitated, and Izuka was utterly curious as to what he had to say next, "Many people underestimate women. Not that it's a bad thing, the best pro heroes are made up of women. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you can use it as an advantage – perks of the gender."

As a female herself, Izuka could've chosen to have felt utterly offended, but she was surprised to learn that she wasn't.

None of it was said in a malicious intent to bring her down because he was just speaking the truth.

She could easily play weak and no one would doubt her because others would see her as a less than worthy opponent simply because she was not a strong-looking man. But Toshinori was right, executing this strategy - if she did choose to go this route - would play a major advantage to catch her enemies off guard.

She just had to remind herself that underneath the façade, she was a strong woman capable of beating anyone and everyone.

And suddenly something else clicked.

"That's why Midnight wears such exotic clothes," she found herself mumbling, "to distract her enemies."

"Correct!" Toshinori confirmed, glad that she understood what he was getting at, "But regardless of gender, the key is to find an opening and use it to your benefit. Anything counts in a fight, at least anything morally."

Izuka nodded her head, "Understood, what's next?"

"Woah, hold your horses." He said, grabbing Izuka by her collar to prevent her from running before he could finish, "I think we've practiced enough for today, heroes must also rest."

"Sorry, I'm just excited," she replied, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.

"Although, that does not mean we will not continue our strategy practices," Toshinori said, "I need you to be well-rested so, when I beat you and prevent you from taking another advantage into trapping me, you can't say that I cheated!"

"Hah! It's refreshing to see that you're so confident that you will lose to me," Izuka joked and picked up her belongings from the floor. Her pack was lighter than usual after submitting her homework earlier in the day and eating her lunch at school.

"Yes well, I do have great confidence that you'll surpass even me one day," Toshinori smiled, a deep sigh escaping his lips as he watched his star pupil gather her things. She was learning quicker than most students at the academy and he knew once her quirk activated, she would be unstoppable at the entrance exam.

An exam which was less than two months away.

"What if the quirk just isn't compatible with me? What will you do then?" Izuka asked and Toshinori wondered if she could smell his worry.

"Silly girl," Toshinori said, "Your quirk will come through and when it does, all you have to worry about is controlling it. It's all just a matter of time."

Izuka nodded, biting her lip as she swallowed his words for thought. She hoped that it was all true.

"Excuse me, sorry for interrupting your training All Might," Sirius said as she entered, "But someone is waiting for you in the hallway, Izuka."

"An admirer already?" Toshinori awkwardly asked the dark-haired hero-in-training, "I think our little Izuka is far too young to be dating, don't you agree Sirius?"

"Yet old enough to defeat villains?" Izuka countered as she swung her backpack on her shoulders, "Don't worry, Toshinori-san, I'll be on my best behavior."

Her words did nothing to reassure her mentor and Yagi scolded himself for not teaching her to stay away from boys sooner as he watched her run out of the room in a hurry to meet...a-a _friend_ because he could not believe it would be anything but a friend devotedly waiting for her.

"Was it a boy?" Toshinori asked with a deep sigh, he would have to talk with Inko about these developments and inquire about her opinion on the matter. He simply hoped that his student's mother would not let her date when she had so many other priorities to attend to.

"How long was he waiting out there for her?" Toshinori asked again, hoping that Sirius would fall for the trap and confirm his suspicions that it indeed was a 'friend' of the opposite gender.

"Quite a long while," Sirius hummed, a sly smirk covering her features as she easily dodged his little trap and watched as he almost combusted from not winning for once.

"Oh, you're acting like an overbearing father," Sirius simply giggled, finally letting her hard-to-get attitude drop, "Toshinori-sama, you worry too much. Many girls her age are dating. Besides, that doesn't mean she is dating and even if she was, I believe Izuka can take care of herself."

"So, it was a boy," He stated, hoping that Sirius would finally confirm _or deny_ his suspicion now that he rephrased it as a fact rather than a question. Although, he was seriously hoping it would be the latter.

"The one and only Todoroki Shoto," Sirius hummed, a small frown marring her smooth face too once she admitted it out loud, "But it's not the boy I'm worried about, it's his father that smells fishy to me. I can sense he's up to something, I just know it."

"Hmn," Toshinori commented, filtering this news as he rubbed the sore spot on his chest where Izuka had beat him with the stick. She had really outdone herself and worn him out like the old and injured man he was.

But now, hearing the news that the girl was already making friends in very high places did not help smooth over his pain. Endeavor was a force to be reckoned with when he set his mind to something and Yagi knew all too well about his personal family matters that he knew first hand how far the man would fo to get what he wanted.

He had only met the boy once in passing to also know that the Todoroki family were not easily befriended to want nothing but mere friendship from the girl, especially when the number two hero was always looking for an advantage through that boy.

Sirius was - as always - right.

"Keep an eye on Izuka, Sirius," Toshinori requested, "Your instincts are usually never wrong."

Sirius nodded, her stomach also rumbling with bad vibes as she thought about what the Todoroki family would want from such a sweet girl.

* * *

Izuka hurried out of the training room as a thought occurred to her. Who could be waiting for her?

She scolded herself for bustling out like an idiot, she should've asked Sirius in the first place!

She was so busy shaking her head that she didn't notice the tall boy casually leaning against the wall watching her hurry by in her own little world.

"Are you late for something Izuka?" Shoto asked, a frown covering his features.

He had seen her enter the training arena a couple of hours ago and since he wasn't ready to head home just yet, he had decided to wait for her in hopes to catch her on her way out so they could go have a quick bite together. But if she was rushing off to somewhere, that would mean that she didn't have time to go eat and he had waited for so long for nothing.

He should have just texted her.

"Shoto?" Izuka surprisingly said, backtracking in her steps and a smile spreading over her face. Todoroki wondered if it was because she was happy to see him.

"You're the one who's waiting for me?"

"Yes," Todoroki replied, his question falling from his lips, "Did that fishy-lady not mention that it was me?"

She laughed, scratching the back of her neck and her eyes closing into a crescent smile as she admitted, "Actually, I forgot to ask Sirius…"

"Oh," he said, but his first question was still unanswered, and he really wanted to know if she was free. "So, are you heading somewhere?"

"No, I'm free for the rest of the day," Izuka said, walking closer to him. "And you?"

He was not planning on heading home anytime soon either. This was how he usually spent his days, trying to avoid going home all because it was the last place where he wanted to be. Especially when there was a high probability that his father was there too.

"Free with nothing to do," Todoroki said, "Lunch?"

Just when he said that Izuka's stomach rumbled and she couldn't help but laugh.

"I think that's a good idea," she said, placing a hand on her stomach and bringing a smile to the usually stoic boy, "Just the word sounds delicious right now."

They walked for a good while in comfortable since with Todoroki taking the lead. His companion seemed easily amused at everything going around her and he couldn't help noticing that she was nothing like him. He was always worrying about his own problems, stuck in his own world but she wasn't.

She laughed at a cat, squinted at the sun, lightly brushed her fingers over the flowers sprouting from the bushes and he had heard her counting the cars passing by for a good minute.

These were the things he wouldn't have noticed without watching her looking out into the world beside him.

"So, Yuuei training?" Todoroki curiously asked, another question plaguing him since he watched her disappear into the private room that was usually off-limits and could only be reserved by heroes, "Were you getting ready for the entrance exam?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, I was," Izuka answered, snapping back into reality, "I haven't exactly received my invite to participate, but I have a good feeling that it will come soon."

Todoroki remained silent. He had no idea what her quirk was, or how good of a hero she could be, so he had no factual way to tell her that she would be accepted to participate or not.

But he did notice that she sounded very confident in her statement.

Maybe she had a hero sponsor. Or she had someone supportive, unlike his father who just bought his way in, training her to get better in hopes that if she did get to participate in the trails for the hero corse, that she'd be ready to give it her all.

Just thinking that the possibility of such a life made him envy her a little. He needed to move on to a new topic of conversation.

"What quirk do you have?" He bluntly asked, catching her off guard.

"Oh, um," Izuka bit her lip, wondering if she could tell him the truth. He was not from her world, didn't go to her school, and he knew she was going for the hero course she, of course, he would assume she had a quirk.

Maybe she didn't have to lie to this person. If she danced around the subject, she would just raise suspicion and that would be bad if he found out if she was training with All Might. Plus, she _really_ liked him.

"Well, I have something akin to super strength in which I can enhance my physical abilities like punches on a superhuman level," Izuka said, which wasn't all a lie because it would activate soon, and those skills would be hers to wield if all went well, "it can also increase my speed, agility, and durability…"

Izuka cringed. She had basically described All Might's quirk in that one sentence, and she was so sure Shoto would put two and two together in no time.

"But it's more complicated than that!" Izuka hastily added, praying that he wouldn't make the connection. "You see, I'm still having a hard time controlling it."

"I understand," Todoroki said which flooded relief in Izuka as she realized that he hadn't made any connection but when his words did register within her mind, it hit her full force.

Izuka, puzzled at the sudden turn of events asked, "You also have trouble using your quirk?"

He stared down at his left palm, before balling it into a fist and his tight frown transformed into a scowl.

She felt like she could overdose from an overload of emotions that this boy could produce in her. One second, he appeared calm and uncaring and in the next second, he cared entirely with his whole heart about something.

And she wanted to be mad alongside him, she wanted to defend him and support him, and she didn't understand _why_ she felt that way, but it did not matter because it felt right. She could only imagine that this was the feeling heroes got when they went in to defend the cities and civilians against a common problem.

Could heroes feel the pain of the ones they're protecting like how she did at this moment?

"The café is just around this corner," Todoroki said, walking, and she could read his hesitation.

"I'm sorry," Izuka apologized, afraid that she had pried on the wrong topic, "You don't have to tell me anything."

To her surprise, he grabbed her hand, knitting his firmly with her own, and pulled her closer to the shop.

"It's my favorite spot to think," Todoroki explained, hoping he hadn't scared her off with his well-known aloof attitude and held her hand tighter in fear that she wouldn't follow through their lunch plans because of it. "And to talk freely."

It was so easy for him to talk to her, especially since it seemed like she had no clue who he was – or more specifically, who his father was. He felt like he could just tell her anything and she wouldn't judge him for it, maybe she would understand him.

He never felt he could talk to someone about his problems because all they saw was his father's great son or his scar. No one ever really saw him.

"Ah, alright," Izuka said, presenting him with a small smile and a nod.

However, all she could think about as they waited in silence for a table and then their food was how he never once released his hold on her. Funny enough, his warm hand made her feel secure and she only hoped her own did not feel uncomfortable or clammy.

Sweaty hands would no doubt ruin the mood as she did not want to be known for having sweaty palms.

It wasn't until their food arrived that he let go of their joined limbs so she could utensils to dig into her soup. And it was just her luck that when she shoved a spoon full of tomato soup into her mouth, that he began divulging into the subject that they had abandoned moments ago.

"I have a hot and cold quirk," Todoroki said, "But I detest the hot quirk because it's my father's quirk. He hurt my mother when I was younger and since that part of the quirk is the only thing he can't control, I only use my cold quirk to prove to him that I won't do his bidding."

Izuka swallowed her soup, which felt heavy as it slid down her neck, in one giant gulp. Shoto was laying it heavy on her suddenly, but she didn't mind hearing him talk.

Sometimes, it just felt good to talk and even better when it was all out of your system.

"My cold quirk is my mother's and it's the only part that I use because I want to remind my dad that despite being the son he always wanted, I am still my mother's son too." He said, staring angrily into his soup as if it had offended him in some way, but Izuka knew better.

She could see that his eyes held a twinkle in them, recognizing that he was reminiscing a memory. He was only half here; physically yes, but mentally, his thoughts were elsewhere.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Izuka said finding it the only thing to say. She had to think about how to tread this subject carefully since she didn't want to anger him, but she already knew what had to be said whether or not he liked it.

Izuka bit her lip, reaching out to squeeze his hand that was balling up the napkin on the table across from her before hardening her nerves and saying, "But you're wrong."

His mismatched eyes shot to her, wide and confused as she collected all his attention.

In a way, he was facing a similar challenger as her own. Although she had gained a quirk that was not her own, she had also unlocked the keys to a new future filled with many open doors. And it may not have been her quirk from the start, but One for All was going to be hers to master and carry from now until the end. It now defined who she was and who she was meant to be.

And he had a right to feel that sense of liberty too.

"I can't control my quirk and I feel like it has a mind of its own, but it is MY quirk," Izuka spoke confidently, her cheeks coloring red from having to correct the boy who she feared would now hate her from such a statement. "Just like that quirk running in your veins is your own, not your father's.

"You shouldn't have to feel constricted in not using your full potential Shoto. Because you're the one who's going to be using the quirk as you see fit and knowing your father's mistakes will only make you a better wielder of that part of you."

Todoroki could only watch in amazement and the big-eyed girl valiantly spoke her thoughts and he could see that she was on the verge of crying. Crying.

He might not have liked what she had to say, nor could he fully agree with her stance but he would hear her out.

Yes, he was angry that she hadn't at first understood his reasoning and angrier that she had made her own opinion before knowing the full history of his past, but it did not surpass the growing admiration he felt towards her. Because despite the hate he felt, something in the back of his mind confirmed that she had a point.

"I'm sorry if I spoke out of term but you need to know that you control your future, not your father," she continued, now feeling some tears trailing down her jaw because she knew she had screwed up this friendship before it had officially started or could even grow into something more.

He would probably never want to see her again. But something in her heart knew that he had to hear this side of reasoning and she'd be damned if she kept it all to herself. H had to know that his own happiness was at stake if he kept thinking like that because that's what true friends did for each other.

Friends looked out for each other - whether that meant having to say the ugly truth out loud.

And then, in a blink of an eye, she ran out of the coffee shop leaving behind nothing but an utterly frozen Shoto Todoroki and a handful of pocket change she had thrown on the table before her hasty departure.

The one thing he couldn't seem to get out of his head was that she had actually _cried_ for him and he still did not understand why. Nor could he get rid of the feeling that he wanted to find her and despite what had transcended, he still wanted to keep talking to her.

* * *

Izuka screamed into her pillow and repeatedly pounded her fists into the mattress, cursing herself for being a coward and running away from Shoto like that.

Since her back had touched her welcoming bed, she had been beating herself up over not having a valid answer as to why she had run from him in the first place. It had taken her a solid hour and a half to completely process exactly what she had done too.

Her mother hadn't been home, so Inko hadn't seen her daughter's tear-stricken face or hear her sobs. But the peace and silence helped Izuka clear her head and think.

Now with the tears finally subsiding, Izuka wanted to rip her hair out. Damn it all, she really had messed up big time.

Was she that afraid of losing her friendship with Shoto and scared of him lashing out at her that she had fled the second the conversation seemed to die down?

She was certain that he would never want to see her face ever again. Or he would probably give her hell the next time he saw her in public like some other hot-headed boy she knew.

She could always blame it on her nerves and how hard she had panicked, but there was no denying that she had cowered. Heroes didn't cower.

As she drifted off to sleep, only one thing kept rattling in her mind: that she was no hero.


	12. Flying Utensils

**_Thank you for all your kind words, dear readers! Your reviews warm my heart and although this chapter is a bit shorter than my other ones, I am quickly working on the next chapter and hope to post it soon! Stay safe out there everyone._**

* * *

The nightmares were back.

Izuka woke with a jolt from her bed, her hand cramping from clutching the sheets so tightly before she felt the trickle of something wet reach her top lip. Some of it slipping through her parted lips, as she caught her breath, and tasting the metallic ting.

She was having a nosebleed.

Izuka rushed to her bathroom, one hand cupping under her nose as the blood continued trailing down her nostrils. Her other hand pulling at the toilet paper, turning it into a bunched-up ball before using it to dab her face clean.

The bleeding persisted and Izuka groaned as she reached out to grab more toilet paper only to realize that the roll was now empty.

She didn't even have a second to think as more blood oozed out. Panicking, Izuka quickly bent her actions going into autopilot as she opened the cupboard to grab a new paper roll only to realize that they weren't any.

"Mom! We're all out of toilet paper!" She shouted, before noticing that the lights outside of her room were still off.

The house felt empty and Izuka felt a little chill go down her spine.

Usually, her mother left at least the kitchen lights on when she noticed that it was getting dark out, so Izuka ventured out into the darkened hallway of their modest little home.

"Mom?" She called out again, into the darkness.

No reply. Izuka gave it another few seconds, but still nothing and it confirmed that she was alone. It was weird, usually, her mom was already home by nightfall and in a heartbeat, Izuka turned on all the lights that led up to the bathroom to make the home feel more welcoming.

She didn't like feeling all alone in her small home, but she didn't have time to think about where her mother. She had to focus on finding a paper towel or at least a napkin as blood continues to trickle, touching the beginning of her cupid's bow.

For now, Izuka had to improvise. She grabbed the yellow All Might hand towel and whipped the blood from her face on one side before using it to then pinch her nose on the other clean side.

She had a strong urge to tilt her head back as she began feeling light-headed, but she did not want to lie down. The last thing she wanted was to go back to sleep when she could feel herself burning behind her eyelids.

She'd rather stay up to avoid dreaming. It was a haunting thing; the dream started the same as all her other nightmares, but the ending was different this time.

Instead of confronting herself to stop holding herself back, she had gone from being frozen in the dark to being lit aflame and not in a good way. It was leaning more towards being burned alive by flames that were so hot, they had turned a bright shade of in the end.

She felt so hot and alone and when she looked past the fire that encircled her, she couldn't see anyone there, but she just knew otherwise. There was a strong feeling in her gut that she just couldn't shake off.

Izuka cleared her head from the remnants of her nightmare with a deep breath. She needed to stay focused.

Feeling semi-clean, she walked out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen pantry to find something to properly clean her nose with.

* * *

Bakugo grunted in frustration and pulled at his hair.

They had been avoiding each other like the plague for the past few weeks and he just couldn't take it anymore.

He had promised that he would respect her wish and stay away. That he would be nice to her. She hadn't even given him a chance to try the second one.

He quickly recalled when she had dropped her little blue book, he had reached out to help her only to watch her throw herself at it, grab it before him and run down the other side of the aisle.

Yes, he had been pissed off that she had acted so childishly – he wasn't going to burn the damn thing again – but when he had caught a glimpse of the ribbon he had slammed on her desk, wrapped around her delicate wrist, he couldn't help but let her little drama show slide. He had other things to worry about like his heart racing 100 miles an hour.

Then there was another time when she had forgotten her lunch.

He didn't know what had come over him, his feet just kept walking, blue tray in hand and he was more than ready to offer her his lunch. Seconds felt like minutes, but as he got closer, she had caught on to what he was doing and jumped from her seat in surprise. That had caused her to land right on her bum on the hard floor, captivating everyone's attention in the cafeteria before her stomach grumbled rather loudly.

She had run to hide from embarrassment, but she had looked so freaking adorable. He had even gone as far as to place some snacks in her back before taking it to lost and found. Nothing could wipe the stupid smile from his face that day.

But then everything started going down-hill from there.

The other day, Izuka had tripped and he had reached out to catch her, but she had pushed him away and they had both fallen over. On fucking concrete no less.

He had ignored the pain and forced himself to get back onto his feet for her, but when he reached out to help her, she just stared at his hand all doe-eyed. For a split second, he thought she would finally accept his help, but lo and behold, she had the bloody guts to ignore him and pick herself up at the last second.

She then proceeded to continue walking as if _nothing_ had happened. If she had done it to anyone else, he would've been impressed.

But she didn't. She had done it to him, and it didn't take a genius to know that one Midoriya Izuka didn't want his help.

Knowing so made him feel bitter and it had been heart-wrenching for him to watch her walk away. He couldn't help the growl that escaped him at was aimed at her retreating form that day. She was being too stubborn for her own good.

It also didn't help when she had intentionally gone out of her way to avoid him after that incident.

He wouldn't put it past her to have memorized his shitty schedule to know what routes to take to completely avoid him when they were out of class.

And he hadn't realized how much of Izuka's presence occupied his life.

Not having her in his sight during lunch unsettled him and she was nowhere to be found. He no longer saw her at the library. He did even catch a glimpse of her during their break hour.

Dammit, she had become like a ghost to him.

Her avoidance of him was starting to become too much and he couldn't hold back anymore. She wouldn't let him get close to her anywhere and that meant there would be no progress between them.

He just couldn't let this end here, he was not a quitter.

He would not give up on her. Not now and not today.

So, he had decided to do the next best thing: He was going to be fucking persistent.

He was not going to play the good guy anymore and just leave her be. If she wanted to hide, he would find her.

Fuck what he said…he just can't let her go.

After debating on what to do, he had walked to her house knowing full well that was the one place he could find her at.

Bakugo had walked down the well-known street and he stopped on the other side of the road. He had found a sweet spot on a bench nearby one that granted him the perfect view of her home. All he had to do now was wait.

And he had. He had waited, scrolling on his phone as he looked over the news before, he heard something come down the road in a flash and barge through the front door of Izuka's home.

He had been too distracted and slow to be able to catch her outside of her home as she had passed by, but he knew it had been her all right. He knew her curves and her curly hair better than anyone after so many years of being around her.

She was here and everything was finally falling into place. He lifted himself from where he was seated, ready to take a step forward before he hesitated.

Was he wrong to want to keep chasing her?

Memories of all those encounters of when he had bullied her rushing back to him all at once.

He was scum. He had been stupid for saying what he did to her. He should've never said any of that to her.

And all those times he had yelled at her when she had done nothing wrong.

He didn't deserve her. He had poked her in the sport where she was most vulnerable; the part of her that she couldn't change.

It all revolved around her being quirkless and instead of taking care of her, he had just hurt her like a right bastard all this time.

He just hoped that she wouldn't hate him forever because he was not going to ask her for forgiveness – he could never ask that of her.

Instead, he would ask for a chance to make it all up to her.

He was going to show her that he is trying to change. That's he's much more than a bully and that he cares about her wellbeing.

He wants to mean more to her and if he wants to progress anywhere, that means he has to take the first step to get there.

So, he did, figuratively and literally, as he found himself standing before her door. Bakugo fidgeted, checking his watch only to curse at how much time he had spent just working up the courage to make the journey through Izuka's front yard.

That realization that he was being weak snapped Bakugo out of his battle with himself and he knocked at her door.

Before he knew it, the door swung open to reveal the green-eyed girl that constantly resided in his mind.

"What are you doing here?" Izuka began to ask the boy before her but was caught off guard as he shifted into protective mode at the sight of the streak of dried blood smudged against her cheek.

He didn't give her the chance to let her invite him in - which he knew she wasn't likely to do - as he barged right in and tipped Izuka's head forward as her other hand continued to clutch the bloodied towel to her nose.

"Idiot, you have to tilt your head forward, not backwards," he found himself scolding her before catching himself. He had to be nicer – shit was harder than he thought.

Izuka just watched as he rolled the sleeves of his black hoodie up to his elbows and she didn't know whether the new streams of blood rushing from her nose was from the fact that his forearms were exposed in all their glory or because of her earlier nightmare.

He then walked away from her and towards the kitchen, and she couldn't help but watch him move so freely in her home. He just looked like he belonged there, in the kitchen.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed him return with a bowl of warm water and the kitchen washcloth.

"You should sit down," he requested, motioning over to the dining table and she found herself obediently proceeding to sit.

He then proceeded to grab her hand, her breath hitching an octave, before successfully removing the bloodied towel and replacing it with a clean, white napkin. She briefly wondered where he had dug that up, but she couldn't form the words to ask him.

His presence being here, being so close just left her speechless and confused.

No one spoke throughout the exchange, but Izuka couldn't shake the feeling that she was very aware of his every movement. His lithe fingers brushing against her cheek as he wiped, his breathe scraping the top of her head, and she couldn't bring herself to detest the slight warmth he that emanated from him and carried onto her.

He still smelled like burning firewood and it felt so welcoming…

She cautiously observed Bakugo, hoping to distract herself from his ministrations by watching him work instead. Thankfully, he seemed unaffected from their proximity as he continued with his mission and she felt a bit more at ease.

Her eyes hypnotized by his movements as he dipped the washcloth into the bowl full of warm water, squeezed the excess liquid, and then brought it up to her face to clean any residue of dried blood marring her freckled face. He repeated the process, careful to not wipe too hard.

Izuka almost vocally compared the motions to a cat cleaning after its kittens, but she decided to keep that to herself. She didn't want to break this quiet spell between them.

For once, there was a sort of peaceful common ground that settled amongst them. It was honestly, a sight to behold. They weren't bickering at one another, nor were there any malicious intentions behind his actions.

Unlike her, she mentally cursed herself because Izuka could see herself really liking this side of him – and she didn't want to like any part of him.

A while back, she defended him as her friend but now- now she just didn't know what he meant to her.

"You look like you're going to explode if you don't speak in the next few seconds," he said, leaning back onto the chair, satisfied with his work as he placed the washcloth into the bowl now that her face was void of any blood that had previously been here.

"Why are you here," Izuka blurted out, realizing that he was right; she couldn't contain herself any longer, "helping me?"

Bakugo handed her another napkin for her to hold in case more blood decided to escape her while he shrugged in reply.

"I've never properly apologized to you," he said, and Izuka questioned whether she was imaging things coming out of his mouth, "For what I've put you through."

This was new. She didn't know what to do, how to act, or what to say to. She was accustomed to the short-tempered Bakugo, but this person before her confused her.

"You've never cared, not before, n-not weeks ago," she said trying to piece the right words together, "Even with this apology, I-I just can't bring myself t-to trust you."

"I don't expect you to trust me," Bakugo quietly replied, searching her face for some sign of hope that he was getting through to her.

Izuka nervously bit her lip, "Then what do you want?"

Bakugo brushed his hand through his hair to dispel the droplets of sweat accumulating in his palm before they burst into little sparks, "I want a chance to gain your friendship."

"What?" Izuka asked, her head snapping to the side, wide eyes meeting his.

Her hand dug into the couch and squeezed hard, attempting to digest what he had just asked of her before she felt a small trickle forming on her upper lip.

"Shit, you're bleeding again," Bakugo said, acting quickly as he got on his feet and stood before her once again as he wiped it away with his fingers. "Maybe I should take you to the hospital, surely this isn't fucking normal."

"N-no, it's fine," Izuka said, shooing his hand away and replacing it with the napkin he had given her. The offending item was a peace offer and she hadn't had the clue.

Bakugo absently flexed his hand that she had shoved and stopped her mid-motion from tilting her head back.

"I told you to keep your head tilted forward," he growled, angry that she wasn't listening.

He also foresaw her other hand getting ready to shove his fingers resting under her chin away, but he was quicker as he caught her wrist in the air.

Izuka's reflex, however, attempted to pry him off her and she pulled her hand back with a bit more force than she had anticipated. What worried Izuka was that she didn't even try to put so much strength behind the movement, it was as if it happened naturally.

The sudden jerk caused Bakugo to lose his balance and he found himself falling atop of the girl who fell with him, her back hitting the cushions. He cursed, attempting to pry himself off but found he couldn't move as their legs had tangled amongst each other, her own in between his and atop his right.

He looked down, at her red face that was so fucking close to his own that their noses were practically touching.

Izuka gasped and she couldn't help the sudden drop of her stomach as she watched his eyes darken as they zeroed in on her parted lips.

"K-Kacchan?" Izuka breathed out and Bakugo felt himself shudder at the sound of her voice so close, "Can you please get off me?"

That last part snapped him back into reality and he found himself clearing his throat before answering her, "I'm trying, Deku."

He released her hand that he had gripped earlier and just when he thought he was in control; she went ahead and placed her hands on his upper chest. Her fingers were so close to reaching around his neck and lacing themselves into his hair. If she did that, he was done for. He would've descended on her in a heartbeat.

"Here, let me help you," she said, pushing him off before realizing her leg was still trapping his lower body down to her.

As she attempted to detangle herself, the front door opened, and a scream caught both their attention as they turned their head at the intruder.

Inko stood in horror, between the dining room and the entry of the living room, grocery bags laying on the floor near her feet.

Bakugo knew he was dead as Inko continued surveying the scene which probably appeared more than it seemed.

"Get off, of her! Have you no shame?!" Inko shouted and suddenly, Bakugo found himself pushed off the couch in a hurry as Izuka jumped to her feet, hands held in the air as if surrendering to her mother.

"It's not what you think!" Izuka began to explain, her face still red with a lingering trace of blood falling down her cheek and Bakugo knew he was double-dead once Inko's eyes closed in on that small detail of her daughter's face.

"WHY ARE YOU BLEEDING?" Inko shouted, summoning her quirk to attract a wooden spoon to her hand before rounding in on Bakugo who quickly got to his feet, "YOU!"

Bakugo ran behind the couch and ducked as the spoon was hurled at his head.

Izuka, on the other hand, ran towards her mom who was summoning another kitchen utensil and held her arm from throwing a fork at Kacchan.

"Mom!" she shouted, "I got a nosebleed, Kacchan helped me clean up and then we tripped and landed on the couch. That's all there is to tell."

Inko's quirk came to a halt and all the kitchen utensils clattered onto the floor. Realizing it was safe to come out, Bakugo stood, biting his tongue from cursing at Izuka's mom for her rash behavior.

Honestly, he was impressed by how strong the woman stood her ground and he just hoped she treated all the boys Izuka met that way too.

"Is that true Katsuki?" Inko asked, her face suddenly looking very tired from her little outburst.

"Yes, nothing happened," he replied, nodding his head in confirmation. He wished something more had occurred, but he shook his head at how that would've ended up with his head on Inko's finest china plate, "I should be heading home, it's late."

"You should, your mother must be worried about your whereabouts," Inko nodded, letting out a deep sigh but continued to eye her daughter from the corner of her eye.

Izuka was quiet, shifting from one foot to another and trying her very best to not look at Bakugo who was now exiting the home with a muttered goodbye.

"Are you sure everything is okay Izuka?" Inko asked once more, her tone a bit more clipped and calm now that the boy was finally gone.

"I'm perfectly fine," Izuka replied, crouching to gather the groceries and utensils from the floor before looking her mother in her eyes, "I wouldn't lie to you if I wasn't, mom."

Inko let a sigh of relief escape her, but there was a nagging voice that just couldn't get rid of the image that now burned her mind of Izuka and Katsuki together.


End file.
